Who Had the Most Expensive Royal Wedding Dress? Comparing Princess Diana, Kate Middleton, and Queen Elizabeth’s Gowns
Who Had the Most Expensive Royal Wedding Dress? Comparing Princess Diana, Kate Middleton, and Queen Elizabeth’s Gowns
Bailey BujnosekTue, June 30, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC
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Royal wedding dresses, which are almost exclusively custom, cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Both Princess Diana and Kate Middleton's regal gowns cost upwards of $100,000.
Though Queen Elizabeth's wedding took place just after World War II and was paid for in part with ration coupons, when adjusting for inflation, it cost more than $1 million.
When it’s time for a royal wedding, the Crown spares no expense. Prince William and Prince Harry rang up eight-figure bills for their respective weddings in 2011 and 2018. And those pale in comparison to the budget for Prince Charles and Princess Diana's 1981 nuptials, which cost an estimated $48 million, the equivalent of $140 million today. Even Queen Elizabeth II’s 1947 ceremony, held during a period of post-war austerity, featured luxurious touches—her hand-beaded satin gown being chief among them.
The wedding dress is often the priciest single item on the bill for a princess’s big day. Generations of royal brides have tapped star designers and legendary couturiers to craft their gowns. The pressure is on for the finished looks to be perfect, but they make it worth the seamstress’s while. These custom gowns come with price tags in the hundred thousands, not to mention an incomparable level of exposure.
Wondering which bride spent the most on her gown? Here’s how the royal wedding dress of Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, and Kate Middleton measure up.
Kate Middleton reportedly spent $434,000 on her wedding dress.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, in her Alexander McQueen wedding dress on her wedding day in 2011.Credit: Carl De Souza/AFP via Getty Images
Middleton proved herself fit for the role of future Queen when she walked down the aisle in April 2011. Taking cues from another royal bride, her lace and satin gown drew instant comparisons to actress-turned-princess Grace Kelly’s 1956 wedding dress. Both frocks feature long sleeves and lace bodices, offset by full skirts. Leaning into the comparisons, Middleton also donned a short, sheer veil like the one worn by the Rear Window starlet.
Designed by Alexander McQueen’s Sarah Burton, the gown was a work of art featuring hand-cut lace, a Victorian corset-style bodice, and a voluminous white satin gazar skirt. At the back, a column of 58 gazar- and organza-covered buttons formed an elegant closure, according to a statement shared by the royal family ahead of the wedding. A nine-foot train completed the silhouette.
Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey for her royal wedding to Britain's Prince William in LondonCredit: Brooks Kraft/Getty Images
While the price of the dress was never officially confirmed, it cost an estimated $434,000—equivalent to $627,637 in 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator. That’s more than Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth spent on their gowns, making Middleton’s the most expensive of the three. Yet adjusting for inflation puts her in second place—more on that later.
Princess Diana’s wedding dress cost $115,000, equivalent to $448,500 today.
Princess Diana posing in her David and Elizabeth Emanuel wedding dress in 1981.Credit: Fox Photos/Getty Images
The ‘wedding of the century’ demanded the dress of the century too. Diana, Princess of Wales, asked design duo David and Elizabeth Emanuel to create her fairytale dream gown for her July 1981 nuptials. The Emanuels went to great lengths to avoid spoilers, disposing of decoy fabric scraps, hiring security to watch over the gown and creating a backup wedding dress in case the first leaked to the press.
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Diana’s stunning silk taffeta gown featured a 25-foot train—the longest in royal history—and the dress itself wowed with billowing puff sleeves and a frilled neckline. Glittering pearl and sequin embroidery decorated her glorious ivory silk tulle veil, crafted from over 150 yards of tulle, per the royal family’s official website.
At the time of the royal wedding, reports estimated it cost $115,000. That’s the equivalent of about $448,500 today. Compared to the costs of Middleton and Elizabeth’s dresses (adjusted for inflation), Diana's is the least expensive. Her wedding tiara, on the other hand, has a dizzying estimated worth of $500 million.
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, leave St. Paul's Cathedral following their wedding on July 29, 1981Credit: Anwar Hussein/Getty ImagesQueen Elizabeth’s wedding dress would cost over $1.5 million today.
Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth II) with her husband on their wedding day in 1947.Credit: Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
While the late Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding dress cost the least at the time, when adjusting for inflation, it’s worth more than Middleton and Diana’s dresses combined.
First, some context: then-Princess Elizabeth and her husband-to-be, Prince Philip, wed in 1947. Britain and the wider world were still in the grips of post-war austerity when their engagement was announced. Elizabeth even had to use ration coupons to pay for her dress. In a touching show of support, citizens across the U.K. sent her their own coupons to help, but these were returned, as it would have been illegal to use them.
Sir Norman Hartnell masterminded her elegant gown with the help of 350 seamstresses. They adorned the Duchesse satin and silk dress with 10,000 seed pearls imported from the U.S. But the real pièce de résistance was the floral- and star-patterned train, symbolizing hope for the country’s renewal following the devastation of World War II.
The future queen's gown cost an estimated $42,000, a price tag that equates to $1.6 million in 2026. With inflation in mind, Queen Elizabeth is crowned the royal bride with the most expensive dress.
Then Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on their wedding day, November 20, 1947Credit: Central Press / Getty Images
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