The 42 greatest royal wedding gowns of all time: from Grace Kelly to Kate Middleton

Which is your favourite?

Monaco's Princess Stephanie and Daniel Ducruet on their wedding day at the Palace of Monaco on July 1, 1995. The bride wore a knee-length lace dress, with a ruffled back. AFP

Queen Fabiola and King Baudouin of Belgium married on December 15, 1960 at the royal castle in Brussels. The bride wore a Balenciaga silk and tulle gown, with three-quarter-length sleeves and an ermine-trimmed neckline. AFP

Rita Hayworth married Prince Ali Salman Aga Khan on May 27, 1949. The bride wore an ankle-length, blue Jacques Fath dress, nipped in at the waist with a simple belt. Getty Images

Anne, Princess Royal, married Mark Phillips at Westminster Abbey in London on November 14, 1973. The bride wore an understated dress by Maureen Baker, with medieval-style wide sleeves and a high collar. Getty Images

Sweden's King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia during a procession after their wedding ceremony in Stockholm on June 19, 1976. The bride wore a silk duchesse gown, designed by by Marc Bohan for Christian Dior, featuring a train that extended from the shoulders. EPA

Britain's Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones leave St George's Chapel at Windsor after their wedding on June 19, 1999. The bride wore a silk organza and crepe dress designed by Samantha Shaw, with rows of pearls and crystal beading around the neckline. EPA

Zara Phillips arrives for her wedding to Mike Tindall at Canongate Kirk on July 30, 2011 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The bride wore a custom Stewart Parvin wedding dress, crafted with silk faille and duchess satin, featuring a corseted bodice and tulle straps. Getty Images

Princess Caroline of Monaco married Philippe Junot in Monaco on June 29, 1978. The bride wore a Christian Dior by Marc Bohan tulle gown, embroidered with floral motifs and topped by an embellished veil laden with petals. Getty Images

Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece married Marie-Chantal Miller at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St Sophia in London on July 1, 1995. The bride wore an ivory silk gown by Valentino, featuring intricate lace work and floral embroidery. PA

Japan's Crown Prince Akihito, second left, and Crown Princess Michiko, second right, pose with former Emperor Hirohito and former Empress Nagako after their wedding in Tokyo on April 10, 1959. The bride wore a fifties-style floor-length dress, finished with an exaggerated bow on the bodice. EPA

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, leave St George's Chapel in London following the blessing of their wedding on April 9, 2005. The bride wore an embellished blue and gold dress coat over a matching chiffon dress, crafted by London designers Antonia Robinson and Anna Valentine. EPA

Spain's then-Prince Crown Felipe de Borbon and Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano pictured at the Royal Palace after their wedding on May 22, 2004, in Madrid, Spain. The bride wore a gown designed by Spain’s Manuel Pertegaz, woven with Valencia silk and finished with a sweeping, circular train and an embroidered high collar. EPA

Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan, second left, and his wife, Crown Princess Masako, second right, pose with Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko after their wedding at the Imperial Palace on June 9, 1993 in Tokyo. The bride wore a textured, floor-sweeping gown which she teamed with a voluminous necked jacket for photos taken outside the building. Getty Images

Jack Brooksbank and Britain's Princess Eugenie walk down the steps of London's St George's Chapel after their wedding ceremony on October 12, 2018. The bride wore an off-shoulder gown by Peter Pilotto, designed to show the scars on her back from scoliosis surgery in her childhood. Getty Images

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, pose on their wedding day at Buckingham Palace in London on November 20, 1947. The bride wore a Norman Hartnell gown featuring a tailored bodice and short train. AFP

Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik and wife Mary Donaldson leave their wedding in Copenhagen, Denmark, on May 14, 2004. The bride wore a duchesse satin, scoop-necked gown by Danish designer Uffe Frank. EPA

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Prince Daniel, Duke of Vastergotland, pose after their wedding in Storkyrkan Church on June 19, 2010 in Stockholm. The bride wore a duchess satin gown, with a five-metre train, by Swedish designer Par Engsheden. Getty Images

Prince Charles and Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales, married at St Paul's Cathedral on July 29, 1981. The bride wore a voluminous silk taffeta and antique lace gown, designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, that featured a 7.6-metre train. PA

Jordan's King Abdullah II and Rania Yassine, now Queen Rania, married at the Royal Palace in Amman on June 10, 1993. The bride wore a custom gown by British designer Bruce Oldfield, scattered with golden embroidery and finished with a large belt. AFP

Beatrice Borromeo and Pierre Casiraghi, son of Monaco's Princess Caroline, married on July 25, 2015, on Isolino di San Giovanni in Italy. The bride wore a bespoke Giorgio Armani Prive Chantilly lace gown, in the palest pink. Courtesy Giorgio Armani Prive

Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones wed at Westminster Abbey on May 6, 1960. The bride wore a silk organza gown designed by Norman Hartnell, the same man behind her sister, Queen Elizabeth II’s, wedding dress. Getty Images

Prince Amedeo of Belgium and Princess Elisabetta Maria celebrate after their wedding ceremony at Basilica Santa Maria in Trastevere on July 5, 2014 in Rome, Italy. The bride wore a delicate Valentino gown, with a polka-dot overlay and intricate illusion neckline. Getty Images

Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston leave St George's Chapel after their wedding on May 18, 2019 in Windsor, England. The bride wore a gown, designed by Luisa Beccaria, with a sheer neckline and sleeves dotted with hand-stitched embroidery. Getty Images

Germany's Ernst August, Prince of Hanover Jr, and Ekaterina Malysheva leave their wedding ceremony at Marktkirche church in Hanover, Germany, on July 8, 2017. The bride wore a dress by Swiss-Lebanese designer Sandra Mansour, detailed with pearls, lace and billowing sleeves. EPA

Maxima Zorreguieta and Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander wave to the public after their wedding at the New Church in Amsterdam on February 2, 2002. The bride wore a cowl-necked gown by Valentino, the skirt finished with subtle lace panelling. EPA

Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby pose following their wedding ceremony at Oslo Cathedral on August 25, 2001. The bride wore an elegant, minimal long-sleeved gown by Norwegian designer Ove Harder Finseth, which segued into a softly pleated train. EPA

Countess Stephanie de Lannoy arrives for her wedding to Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Luxembourg on October 20, 2012. The bride wore a bespoke lace Elie Saab gown, embroidered with silver filigree and finished with three-quarter-length sleeves. EPA

Christopher O'Neill and Princess Madeleine of Sweden depart their wedding ceremony at The Royal Palace on June 8, 2013 in Stockholm, Sweden. The bride wore a lace gown, featuring an intricate embroidered veil, by Valentino. Getty Images

Prince Carl Philip of Sweden married Sofia Hellqvist, now princess and Duchess of Varmland, on June 13, 2015 in Stockholm. The bride wore a V-neck gown by Swedish designer Ida Sjostedt, finished with delicate lace sleeves. Getty Images

Charlotte Casiraghi, daughter of Monaco's Princess Caroline, wed Lebanese-French film producer Dimitri Rassam at the Abbaye Sainte-Marie de Pierredon, in Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France, on June 29, 2019. The bride wore a Giambattista Valli gown with a sheer neckline and romantic ruffled tiers. Instagram / Giambattista Valli

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex depart their wedding ceremony at St George's Chapel on May 19, 2018 in London. The bride wore boat-necked silk gown designed by Clare Waight Keller, then-artistic director of Givenchy. Getty Images

Lady Charlotte Wellesley and Alejandro Santo Domingo smile after their wedding ceremony at the Church of the Incarnation in Illora, southern Spain, on May 28, 2016. The bride wore a cream, off-shoulder structured gown by Emilia Wickstead, paired with a polka-dot veil. EPA

Alessandra de Osma and Prince Christian of Hanover leave the church after their wedding at Basilica San Pedro on March 16, 2018 in Lima, Peru. The bride wore a long-sleeved lace gown by Spanish fashion designer Jorge Vazquez, finished with a demure high neck and sweetheart bodice. Getty Images

King Hussein of Jordan married Lisa Halaby, who became Queen Noor, on June 15, 1978 in Amman. The bride wore a simple, blouson-sleeved gown finished with trim detailing, in a silhouette emblematic of the era. EPA

The Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson on their wedding day at the Chateau de Conde in France on June 3, 1937. The bride, who was a divorcee, wore a blue-hued crepe dress by Mainbocher, with a high neck and buttoned waist signature of the 1930s. Getty Images

Countess Olympia Arco-Zinneberg arrives at her wedding ceremony to Prince Jean-Christophe Napoleon at the Saint-Louis-des-Invalides Cathedral in Paris, France, on October 19, 2019. The bride wore a scallop-hemmed, intricate gown by Oscar de la Renta, finished with a cape in the matching leaf-inspired fabric. EPA

Princess Claire of Luxembourg and Prince Felix of Luxembourg depart their wedding ceremony at the Basilique Sainte Marie-Madeleine on September 21, 2013 in Saint-Maximin-La-Sainte-Baume, France. The bride wore an ethereal Elie Saab silk gown, embroidered with floral motifs. Getty Images

Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, married Soraya Esfandiary on February 12, 1951 at the Marble Palace in Tehran. The bride wore a voluminous Christian Dior gown, replete with thousands of marabou feathers and adorned with diamonds and pearls. AFP

Charlene Wittstock, Princess of Monaco, arrives at her religious wedding ceremony to Prince Albert II of Monaco at the Prince's Palace on July 2, 2011 in Monaco. The bride wore a duchesse silk, off-shoulder gown by Giorgio Armani, with a Swarovski crystal-studded train. Getty Images

Britain's Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in the grounds of the Royal Lodge, Windsor, on July 17, 2020 after their marriage ceremony. The bride wore a vintage gown, borrowed from her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. The Norman Hartnell dress, made from taffeta, organza and satin, and encrusted with diamante, was worn by the monarch in 1962. AFP

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, with her sister Pippa Middleton, married Prince William at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London. The bride wore a gown designed by Sarah Burton, then-creative director of Alexander McQueen, that featured a satin bodice and lashings of lace and tulle. Getty Images

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco wed at Monaco Cathedral on April 19, 1956. The bride wore a high-necked faille and taffeta gown designed by Helen Rose of MGM film studios, which featured a fitted bodice and lace sleeves and thousands of hand-sewn pearls. AFP

Choosing a wedding dress is not as simple as an easy yes or no. It's a task laden with deliberations, from the colour choice to the fabric, length and accessories.

However, the considerations are even more vast when you are preparing for a royal wedding, with traditions and etiquettes to keep in mind.

With the world's eyes waiting to watch you walk down the aisle, everything from the designer you choose to the flowers you carry will be critiqued.

However, there have been many notable brides who have managed to strike the perfect balance between couture and convention.

Whether monarchs, countesses or women marrying into royal families, here we take a look back through the archives to collate 42 of the greatest gowns worn at royal weddings past.

Whether Princess Beatrice's recent nuptials, to which she wore a vintage dress borrowed from her grandmother, or Queen Elizabeth II's own 1947 wedding, each gown deserves a place in fashion's hall of fame.

From bespoke pieces by the likes of Christian Dior, Valentino and Balenciaga, to a scattering of designs by Lebanon's Elie Saab, scroll through the gallery above to see our selections.