Princess Charlene, Princess Anne & more rebellious royals with unorthodox weddings

Almost every aspect of Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’s wedding was unexpected. The couple had to completely redo their wedding plans after the coronavirus scuppered their hopes of marrying at St James’s Palace in May 2020. 

Two months later, they surprised fans by hosting a very intimate, socially-distanced ceremony at The Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor on 17 July 2020. Instead of thousands of guests witnessing the ceremony and even more gathering outside the venue to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds like most royal weddings, Beatrice had just 20 close friends and family watch her exchange vows. 

She loaned a vintage Norman Hartnell wedding dress from her late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, alongside recycled sparkly nude Valentino heels. Sadly, very few photos have been released of the event.

Princess Anne broke the mould when she travelled to Scotland with Sir Timothy Laurence to get married in 1992, just months after she had finalised her divorce from Captain Mark Phillips.

This was the first time a child of the British monarch had remarried after divorce and defied the Church of England since the law did not change until 10 years later in 2002. As well as the unconventional location and intimate guest list, the Princess Royal leant into her rebellious nature and chose a knee-length ivory dress with black accessories.

Instead of classic pre-wedding drinks, Princess Charlene and Prince Albert of Monaco kicked off their three-day wedding weekend on 30 June 2011 with an Eagles concert.

“It was such a wonderful three days. Even months afterwards I would get flashbacks and think, ‘Oh, my goodness, did I really have the Eagles playing at my wedding?’I think back and wonder how we managed to pull it off,” she told The Times.

The former Olympic swimmer ditched traditional white in favour of a powder blue bridal outfit. The Karl Lagerfeld chiffon set featured a strapless top, wide-leg trousers and a matching lace-trimmed jacket.

Speaking of her unique bridal style, she told Vogue: “It is my creation and I’m proud of it. It’s feminine and keeps with tradition yet has a little twist that reflects my personal style.

“I thought it was a nice change to go for trousers instead of a skirt, especially since I’m an athlete and have always kept my clothes clean and simple.”

Sarah Ferguson’s daughter Princess Eugenie made it a priority to highlight her scoliosis scar on her wedding day in order to raise awareness. 

Not only did she factor this into her low-backed wedding dress, but she also chose to forego one crucial part of any bride’s outfit – the veil.

“I had an operation when I was 12 on my back, and you’ll see on Friday [at the wedding], but it’s a lovely way to honour the people who looked after me and a way of standing up for young people who also go through this,” she explained during an appearance on This Morning.

“I think you can change the way beauty is, and you can show people your scars and I think it’s really special to stand up for that.”

Grand Duke Henri’s 19-year-old son Prince Louis of Luxembourg surprised fans when he announced his girlfriend Tessy Antony was expecting a baby in 2005 aged just 19 and 20. 

Six months after the birth of their son Gabriel, Louis renounced his succession rights and they tied the knot in 2006 in a low-key ceremony. She wore an off-the-rack Pronovias wedding dress and no tiara – a very unroyal look.

The pair split in 2017 and their divorce was finalised in 2019.

When Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria married Daniel Westling in 2010, she chose to combine tradition with modernity.

Instead of adopting the Swedish opinion that it was outdated for her father King Carl XVI Gustaf to walk her down the aisle, she chose to be accompanied part-way with her dad and the rest of the day with her groom.

Back in 1990, Princess Alexandra of Kent’s 23-year-old daughter Marina Ogilvy wed Paul Mowatt when she was five months pregnant.

The couple exchanged vows at St Andrew’s Church, Ham, with the bride surprising fans in a black velvet dress topped with a red bolero jacket with gold tassels and a broad-brimmed black hat.

Her mother later described it as a “lovely wedding”, but there had been rumours that her relationship with Marina was strained following her pregnancy announcement. 

Marina told Today that her parents had supposedly tried to pressure her into having an abortion or a shotgun wedding, and when she refused they cut off her funds.

Alexandra and her husband’s representatives released a statement in response to the claims, stating: “They are concerned at the number of inaccuracies. In particular, they have not ‘cut off’ their daughter. Marina is always welcome at her home. They love her very much and feel deeply for her at this difficult time.”

For her second wedding with King Charles in 2005, divorcee Queen Camilla opted for a porcelain blue silk Robinson Valentine dress hand-embroidered with gold threadwork.

The religious blessing was attended by royals such as Queen Elizabeth II, but the monarch had not been among the 28 guests present at the civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall.