The Most Beautiful Princess Wedding Dresses Throughout History

When you come across the phrase princess wedding dress, a big poufy ball gown probably comes to mind, right? Well, based on our research, the actual princess wedding dresses throughout history aren't always of the poufy ball gown variety. While Princess Diana's wedding dress certainly put all poufy wedding dresses to shame (we'll refresh your memory of it below), most of the dresses worn by princesses over the years aren't actually very poufy at all. Alternatively, they run the gamut from slim, lace, and long-sleeved to off-the-shoulder and satin. You're probably familiar with a few of the below gowns (has anyone on this planet not seen Kate Middleton's dress a thousand times?), but many of the princess wedding dresses included below are significantly more under-the-radar.

Head below to see 19 stunning princess (and queen) gowns throughout history, from Queen Elizabeth II in 1947 to now.

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Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, 1947
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Norman Hartnell

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Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco, 1956
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Helen Rose

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Princess Diana of Wales, 1981
(Image credit: Anwar Hussein/Getty Images )

Designer: David and Elizabeth Emanuel

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Princess Masako of Japan, 1993
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Hanae Mori

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Princess (now Queen) Máxima of the Netherlands, 2002
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Valentino

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Princess Letizia of Asturias (now Queen of Spain), 2004
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Manuel Pertegaz

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Princess Mary of Denmark, 2004
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Uffe Frank

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Princess (now Queen) Noor of Jordan, 2004
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Unknown

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Princess Alexandra of Denmark, 2007
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Henrik Hviid

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Duchess Catherine of Cambridge, 2011
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen

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Princess Victoria of Sweden, 2010
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Pär Engsheden

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Princess Sophie of Prussia, 2011
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Wolfgang Joop

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Princess Charlene of Monaco, 2011
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Giorgio Armani Privé

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Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, 2011
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Henrik Hviid

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Princess Stéphanie of Luxembourg, 2012
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Elie Saab

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Princess Claire of Luxembourg, 2013
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Elie Saab

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Princess Madeleine of Sweden, 2013
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Valentino

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Princess Beatrice of Monaco, 2015
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Giorgio Armani Privé

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Princess Sofia of Sweden, 2015
(Image credit: Getty Images )

Designer: Ida Sjöstedt

Next up, see the custom dress and veil worn by our newlywed editor

Opening Image: Getty Images

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Allyson Payer
Senior Editor

Allyson is a senior editor for Who What Wear. She joined the company in 2014 as co-founder Katherine Power's executive assistant and over the years has written hundreds of stories for Who What Wear. Prior to her career in fashion, Allyson worked in the entertainment industry at companies such as Sony Pictures Television. Allyson is now based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She holds a BFA in theater. Her path to fashion may not have been linear, but based on the number of fashion magazines she collected as a child and young adult, it was meant to be.