After weeks of speculation about the status of Prince Harry’s relationship with actress Meghan Markle from a public so rabid for good news that royal family had to issue a rare statement insisting that people stop asking, this morning Kensington Palace announced that the couple is officially engaged. This momentous event in certainly cause for celebration as Harry, once a party boy, is now marrying a beautiful and successful American woman. In honor of the occasion—which is expected to take place in the Spring of 2018—we’ve collected images of royal wedding cakes from countries all over the world from the past 90 years. Look back on how other monarchies have celebrated their big day (as well as many of the prince’s own relatives), and start fantasizing about what Harry and Meghan’s cake will look like. So far, we hardly know anything about the couple’s forthcoming nuptials, but hopefully these photos of the most decadent, over-the-top cakes ever will sate your appetite for royal wedding content until Kensington Palace has mercy on us and begins releasing more details.
Unfortunately, we’ll be waiting months and months before we learn anything concrete about the event (Who will be designing Meghan’s dress? Will the wedding overshadow their sister-in-law’s impending due date?), and just because the news of their engagement only broke this morning, doesn’t mean devout followers of the royal family are in any way satisfied. Until some as of yet unspecified date in the spring, most of us will be clicking on the same picture of Meghan in her white trench coat, her ring finger coyly placed on top of Harry’s hand, zooming in from different angles, until the couple blesses us with another photo shoot. Until that time, we think it’s fair to let your imagination run wild. Let these wedding cakes be the fuel you need to fantasize about the royal wedding of your dreams.
Prince Albert and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
In April of 1923, the Duke of York, better known as Prince Albert (later known as George VI when he became king, after his brother abdicated the throne in order to marry a divorced American woman named Wallis Simpson) married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who rejected his marriage proposals twice before agreeing to be his wife. The couple are the parents of Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince George and Princess Marina of Greece
In 1934, Prince George, the Duke of Kent, and the future king’s brother, married Princess Marina of Greece. Sadly, less than 10 years later, he would die in a plane crash at the age of 39.
Princess Elizabeth and Phillip Mountbatten
At probably the most celebrated and anticipated royal wedding of the century, Princess Elizabeth, future queen of England, married Phillip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh in 1947. Their cake towered over guests, at a staggering nine feet tall.
King Constantine and Princess Anne-Marie
The kingdoms of Denmark and Greece united in 1964, when King Constantine married Princess Anne-Marie, youngest daughter of Frederik IX of Denmark. Just three years later, the couple fled to Rome in exile when the military took control of Greece. King Constastine was deposed in 1973, but returned to reside in Greece with his wife in 2013.
Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips
Queen Elizabeth II’s only daughter, Princess Anne, married her first husband Captain Mark Phillips in 1973. Phillips declined a courtesy title, usually given to those who marry into the royal family, meaning that their children were also born without titles. The pair separated in 1989, and in 1992, Princess Anne remarried.
Princess Diana and Prince Charles
The beloved Princess Diana married the heir to throne of England, Prince Charles, in 1981. Their wedding cake weighed 225 pounds. The couple shared two sons, Prince Harry and Prince William, who have captured world’s heart just as their mother did, before Diana’s untimely death in 1997.
Crown Prince Hamzah Bin Al Hussein and Princess Noor
In 2004, Crown Prince Hamzah Bin Al Hussein of Jordan married Princess Noor in Amman. Unfortunately the couple divorced just five years later.
Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling
Crown Princess Victoria, the heir to the Swedish throne, married a personal trainer and gym owner named Daniel Westling in 2010.
Prince Albert of Monaco and Charlene Wittstock
Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III’s son, Prince Albert of Monaco, married an Olympic swimmer from South Africa named Charlene Wittstock in 2011, in what was described as the biggest party in the country—which included this giant pink cake stacked with sparklers—since his parent’s union.
Kate Middleton and Prince William
That same year, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton and Prince William, next in line for the throne after his father, were married. 72 million people streamed the event on Youtube, while 26 million people watched on television in the United Kingdom. Six years later, slices of the cake are still up for auction.
