How Queen Letizia's wedding dress became one of the most expensive in royal history - and cost even more than Kate Middleton's £250,000 gown
Today marks the 21st wedding anniversary of Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI of Spain.
The royal couple tied the knot on May 22, 2004, in a glittering ceremony at Madrid's Almudena Cathedral, where then-Crown Prince Felipe married news anchor Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano.
Letizia captivated the crowd as she walked down the aisle in an extraordinary gown designed by the late Spanish couturier Manuel Pertegaz.
The structured ivory dress, reportedly worth an astonishing £6million, is regarded as one of the most expensive royal wedding gowns in history.
Its elegant silhouette featured a high-standing collar and a dramatic 15-foot train, beautifully embroidered with fleur-de-lis and ears of wheat - a tribute to the Prince of Asturias' crest.
Letizia accessorised with diamond drop earrings gifted by her future in-laws, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia, along with elegant Pura Lopez court shoes.
She crowned her ensemble with the historic Prussian tiara, previously worn by Queen Sofia at her own wedding in 1962.
Letizia's cascading bouquet carried personal meaning, blending apple blossom to honour her home city of Oviedo with orange blossom, a tribute to Felipe's late grandmother, the Countess of Barcelona.
Blue-tinted Hildegarde iris and ivory Elizabethan roses paid homage to the House of Bourbon, her husband's royal lineage.
The grand wedding welcomed more than 1,000 guests. Bridesmaids Victoria Codorniu and Claudia González wore traditional gowns by Spanish designer Lorenzo Caprile.
The couple's romance began quietly, following their first meeting during Felipe's visit to the site of an oil spill that Letizia was reporting on.
Their surprise engagement was announced in November 2003, and the wedding took place just two months after the devastating Madrid train bombings.
In a heartfelt gesture, the couple dedicated their nuptials to the victims of the tragedy.
Letizia's gown surpassed even the most iconic British royal wedding dresses in cost.
By comparison, Princess Kate's dress, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, cost an estimated £250,000.
Crafted from ivory satin and adorned with handmade lace by the Royal School of Needlework, Kate's gown featured a nearly nine-foot train and was reportedly paid for by her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton.
Princess Eugenie's 2018 dress, designed by Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos, cost around £200,000.
It incorporated several meaningful motifs, including a Thistle for Scotland, a Shamrock for Ireland, and the York Rose.
Notably, the low-back design showcased a surgical scar from a procedure that Eugenie had to correct scoliosis - curvature of the spine - when she was aged 12.
Princess Diana's unforgettable 1981 wedding dress, created by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, was valued at £151,000.
Made of ivory silk taffeta and embellished with 10,000 pearls, the gown featured a record-breaking 25-foot train.
To ensure a perfect fit down the aisle of St Paul's Cathedral, the designers even measured it in secret.
Meghan's elegant Givenchy gown, estimated at £110,000, was designed by Clare Waight Keller.
Crafted from double-bonded silk cady with a triple organza underskirt, the look was completed by a 16-foot veil embroidered with the national flowers of all 53 Commonwealth countries - an effort that took 3,900 hours to complete.
Queen Elizabeth's £30,000 gown was made by British couturier Norman Hartnell. Because of rationing measures in place after the war, the dress was paid for with clothing ration coupons
Even Queen Elizabeth II's wedding dress carried immense historical value.
Costing £30,000, it was designed by Norman Hartnell and paid for with clothing ration coupons.
The duchesse satin gown, inspired by Botticelli's Primavera, included a sweeping 13-foot train and ornate embroidery of golden floral and wheat motifs, studded with 10,000 seed pearls symbolising renewal.
Hartnell secretly sewed a clover into the skirt for good luck, positioned so the Queen could rest her hand on it during the ceremony.
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