They say you can’t put a price on happiness, but some think differently. Royal weddings are known to be lavish and larger-than-life.
Over the decades, royals across the world have spared no expense to make sure their big day was picture perfect. Here are some of the most expensive royal weddings that have dazzled crowds over the years.
Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah and Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini
The Sultan of Brunei’s daughter Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah married non-royal Pengiran Haji back in 2012. The pair wed at the monarch’s 1 700-room palace, and their guest list included 3000 people, which probably greatly contributed to the $20 million cost (R338 718 000) of their big day.
Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano
Spanish Crown Prince married journalist Letizia Ortiz in 2004, before they became King and Queen. The couple had over 1200 guests witness their big day, and was the first Spanish royal wedding in almost a century so they had to do it big.
The bride wore a stunning Manuel Pertegaz gown with gold details and a 14-foot (4.27 metre) train. The wedding reception featured a 7-foot (2.13 metre) high cake and over 1000 bottles of champagne. The government and the Royal House shared the estimated bill of between $25-30 million (R423 397 500 – R508 077 0000).
Prince Harry and Megan Markle
The fairytale 2018 wedding had a pretty frightening bill at the end of it. The wedding is estimated to have cost about $45 million (R762 115 500), of which $30 million alone was dropped on security to keep the Royal family safe during the day.
Interestingly, the royals paid for the majority of the wedding themselves instead of having the state foot the bill. “As was the case with the wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Royal Family will pay for the core aspects of the wedding, such as the church service, the associated music, flowers, decorations, and the reception afterwards,” read a statement from the Royal Family.
Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock Wedding
Many tuned in to witness South African swimmer Charlene Wittstock become royalty when she said ‘I do’ to Monaco’s Prince Albert II in 2011. The wedding festivities lasted three days.
Wittstock’s Giorgio Armani wedding gown was made of silk, embellished with pearls and 40 000 swarovski crystals. The 450 guest wedding cost the Crown about $65 million (R1 100 833 500).
Princess Diana and Prince Charles
The marriage of Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles was considered the wedding of the century, and of course it had the price tag to match.
Being such high-profile figures, the royal family shelled out an estimated $600 000 on security and crowd control alone. Princess Diana’s dress cost around $13,000. All together, the wedding is believed to have cost the modern day equivalent of $70 million (R1 185 513 000).
Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Princess Salama
The prince and Princess of Abu Dhabi hold the record for the most expensive modern royal wedding. They tied the knot back in 1981 in a 20 000 seat stadium they had specially built to accommodate the week-long wedding celebrations. The royals dropped a casual $100 000 (R1 693 590 000) on their big day, of which very few public photos exist.
Feature image: Instagram / The Royal Family
