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Weddings are typically joyous events, filled with cake, dancing, and an abundance of champagne. Yet, some royals experienced weddings that turned out to be far from what they imagined. Here are 10 royal weddings that ultimately ended in disaster, death, or despair.
10. Princess Mary of Teck and Prince Albert Victor
The wedding between Princess Mary of Teck and Prince Albert Victor, son of the Princess and Prince of Wales, was highly anticipated. The couple announced their engagement in December 1891 and set the date for their wedding just two months later, on February 27, 1892.
However, fate had other plans. Prince Albert became seriously ill with influenza in January. By January 14th, he had tragically passed away, forcing the wedding to be canceled.
It appears, though, that Princess Mary wasn't too devastated by the loss. Just a year later, she wed her late fiancé's brother, Prince George. Their second wedding went off smoothly, proving that sometimes things work out in the end.
9. King Henri of Navarre and Marguerite Valois
One of the most tragic royal weddings in history was that of King Henry of Navarre and Marguerite Valois. Held in the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris on August 18, 1572, the ceremony seemed perfect with the stunning location and clear skies, but things soon took a darker turn.
The wedding occurred during a tense time of religious conflict between the Catholic and Protestant churches. King Henry, a Protestant, attracted many important Protestant figures who traveled to Paris to witness the event.
However, the bride's mother, Catherine de Medici, a devout Catholic, saw an opportunity for action. Instead of celebrating her daughter's wedding, she secretly devised a plan to eliminate the unsuspecting Protestant guests who had come to Paris for the occasion.
Just six days after the wedding, while celebrations continued in the streets of Paris, Catherine issued the command, and mercenaries massacred anywhere from 3,000 to 70,000 Protestants. The violence spiraled out of control, spreading to other French provinces beyond Paris. Eventually, the unrest was suppressed, and the crown attributed the bloodshed to a political revolt.
8. King George IV and Princess Caroline of Brunswick
Prince George (who would later become King George IV) and his future bride, Caroline of Brunswick, were engaged without ever meeting face-to-face. As you can imagine, this set the stage for a far from joyous wedding day.
George had no desire to marry Caroline in the first place. He was already involved with a mistress whom he was content with. However, his extravagant lifestyle had led him into substantial debt, which needed to be resolved. When his father suggested marrying a wealthy woman to settle the debts, George reluctantly agreed.
Caroline, though not thrilled with the match, was willing to try. But everything changed when she arrived in England for the wedding. At the 1795 ceremony, her soon-to-be husband was so drunk that he could barely stand. To make matters worse, he passed out on their wedding night, leaving Caroline unfazed as she went on with her life.
It seems the disastrous wedding was just a sign of what was to come, as the two shared a loveless marriage and lived largely separate lives.
7. King Harthacnut
Not all royal weddings that ended in disaster were between a king and a queen. One royal wedding that ended in trouble was one attended by King Harthacut. King Harthacnut ruled Denmark starting in 1035 and took over the throne of England as well in June of 1040.
However, the king’s good fortune would end shortly after. You see, almost two years exactly after his coronation, King Harthacnut attended a wedding of one of his courtiers, the daughter Osgod Clapa.
During the wedding, the good king decided to give a toast to the happy couple. However, he never managed to finish his speech and dropped dead in the middle of the toast! Of course, the royal wedding of the courtiers was ruined, and everyone rushed to attend to the king.
While the exact cause of his death remains unknown, many believe it may have been either a stroke induced by excessive alcohol consumption or a seizure triggered by epilepsy or diabetes.
6. Edward II and Isabella of France
King Edward II's marriage to Isabella of France in 1308 marked the beginning of his downfall. At the time, Edward was only about 24 years old, while Isabella was half his age. However, the age gap proved to be the least of their troubles.
The real issue was that Edward had little interest in women, preferring instead the company of one of his knights, Piers Gaveston. During the wedding celebrations, Edward shocked everyone by kissing Piers in front of the guests, causing considerable embarrassment for his new wife.
The affair persisted long after the wedding day, with Edward continuing his relationship with Piers throughout his marriage to Isabella. Eventually, Isabella had enough and orchestrated a coup, replacing her husband with their son, Edward III, as the new king.
5. Prince Albert and Princess Charlene
Prince Albert and Charlene Wittsock represent a more contemporary couple whose wedding was overshadowed by drama. Prince Albert is the son of Grace Kelly, while Charlene is a beautiful South African swimmer.
Despite their good looks and notable connections, the pair faced significant marital challenges. Just days before their wedding, Charlene attempted to flee to Monaco after discovering that Prince Albert had recently fathered a third illegitimate child. Although she initially abandoned the idea, she later tried again, booking a one-way ticket to France, but was intercepted at the airport.
Despite the turmoil, the couple eventually married in 2011. Though the princess went through with the ceremony, they spent their honeymoon in separate hotels. Nevertheless, they have managed to remain together and continue their marriage to this day.
4. Catherine the Great and Peter III
Catherine the Great may have been a remarkable ruler of Russia, but her marriage was anything but. In fact, when it came to her marriage, this unfortunate queen certainly drew the short straw.
Catherine the Great's royal wedding to Peter III Fyodorovich marked the beginning of her reign over Russia. At the time, Catherine was only 16, and her groom was just one year older.
Though the two were cousins, they were never particularly fond of each other. Catherine famously described Peter as a cruel, drunken party animal, and their wedding seemed to validate this. While the ceremony itself went off without a hitch, when it came time for the couple to enjoy their wedding night, Peter chose instead to party with his friends, leaving his new wife behind.
This was only the beginning of a turbulent marriage. Catherine and Peter’s relationship was fraught with difficulties until, ultimately, Catherine took matters into her own hands and seized power in Russia.
3. Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great, another remarkable royal figure, faced difficulties in his romantic life. In 324 BC, he was about to marry a woman named Statira in a grand double wedding, which also involved her sister Drypetis marrying Alexander’s close companion, Hephaestion.
However, things didn’t go as planned for the brides. After the ceremony, instead of spending the night with their new wives, Hephaestion and Alexander retired to bed together.
Naturally, the rejected brides, as well as Alexander's other wife, Roxanne, were left in shock. Nevertheless, the situation didn’t last long, as both Hephaestion and Alexander passed away within a year.
2. Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves
Henry VIII is well-known for his disastrous marriages, but some of his weddings were particularly awful. One of the most notorious was his marriage to Anne of Cleves, which turned out to be a complete disaster.
Anne of Cleves was Henry VIII’s fourth wife, and in many ways, she could be considered a mail-order bride. Henry saw a portrait of her, and based on that image alone, he decided she would be his wife.
However, upon Anne’s arrival in England, Henry VIII quickly had a dramatic change of heart. In the days leading up to the wedding, he desperately tried to cancel the marriage and send Anne back, but his efforts were unsuccessful, and he ultimately went through with the wedding.
King Henry claimed that his wife’s appearance was so unappealing that they were unable to consummate the marriage on their wedding night. It wasn’t just a one-time issue; six months later, Henry annulled the marriage and started pursuing his next bride.
1. P’u Yi and Gobulo Wanrong
P’u Yi, the final Emperor of China, was informed at the age of 16 that he must choose a wife. To assist him, his courtiers presented him with a series of photographs of young women from which he could make his selection.
P’u Yi, however, had little interest in marriage. He chose a photograph of a woman at random. His advisors, however, were not pleased with this selection and informed him that the woman could become his concubine, but he was required to marry a woman named Gobulo Wanrong.
When the day arrived for P’u Yi to marry his new bride, the ceremony was relatively calm. However, things took an unexpected turn afterward. As the newlyweds went to bed to consummate their marriage, P’u Yi panicked when he saw his wife waiting for him and fled the chamber, sparking rumors about his sexuality.
P’u Yi’s wedding disaster is one of the few to end with a positive outcome. Despite the humiliation caused by their wedding night, P’u Yi and Gobulo Wanrong eventually became friends, and their marriage, while not without challenges, remained relatively stable.
