The Most Expensive Royal Weddings In History, Ranked

Royal weddings may be the stuff of fairytales, but they don’t come cheap. Yes, because of all that grandeur and pomp – not to mention the huge guest lists – getting spliced to a prince, a princess or a king is costly enough to make Cinderella weep. Don’t believe us? Well, here’s a look at 20 of the most expensive royal weddings in recent memory. And you may be surprised to learn the couple sitting pretty at the top of the list.

20. King Letsie III and Anna Karabo Motšoeneng – $1.5 million

King Letsie III and Anna Karabo Motšoeneng certainly weren’t short of guests when they tied the knot in 2000. The couple exchanged their vows at Lesotho’s national soccer stadium in front of an incredible 40,000 well-wishers! And, unsurprisingly, the celebrations set the newlyweds back a lot – somewhere in the region of $1.5 million.

Pride of Lesotho

Why were there so many people in attendance? Well, the folks in Lesotho had never seen anything like it before. Motšoeneng, who actually hails from South Africa, was the first-ever commoner to tie the knot with a member of the Lesotho royal family. The bride was rechristened Queen ’Masenate Mohato Seeiso following the joyous occasion.

19. Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling – $2 million

You probably wouldn’t expect the owner of a gym to suddenly become part of a royal family. But that’s exactly what happened in 2010 when Daniel Westling got hitched to Princess Victoria of Sweden. The pair said “I do” in front of more than 1,200 guests at Stockholm Cathedral, and the whole shebang cost $2 million.

Mother's own crown

The bride ensured she had “something borrowed” for the big occasion by wearing the exact same crown that her mom had on her own wedding day. The “something new”? That was the custom-made off-the-shoulder dress designed by Pär Engsheden. And after exchanging vows, the happy couple enjoyed a horse-drawn carriage ride through Stockholm on their way to their reception.