The bouquet is an integral part of most weddings and none more so than at royal weddings where the choice of flowers is often as interesting to see as the details of the tiaras and gown. Although every royal bride is free to chose her favorite buds, a sprig of myrtle has traditionally always been included in bouquets since Queen Victoria’s daughter’s wedding in 1858. The flower has represented love, fertility and innocence for thousands of years and being a delicate white flower with lots of green foliage, is easy to incorporate into most color schemes. Although the majority of royal brides opt for a white theme in their bouquets such as the cute small posies carried by Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton , other brides have gone for a pop of color – such as Princess Sofia of Sweden and Princess Mette-Marit of Norway ’s original choice.
Princess Eugenie
Princess Eugenie ’s autumnal bouquet for her October 2018 wedding to Jack Brooksbank was created by celebrity florist Rob van Helden. As well as the traditional spring of myrtle, it included lily of the valley, white spray roses, trailing iris and ivy.
Meghan Markle
Meghan’s bouquet for her May 2018 ceremony was made by florist Philippa Craddock. It included scented sweet peas, lily of the valley, astilbe, jasmine and astrantia. The arrangement also included Forget-Me-Nots that were hand-picked by Prince Harry from the couple’s private garden at Kensington Palace – which were Princess Diana’s favourite flowers – and the traditional sprig of myrtle.
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Kate Middleton
When Kate married Prince William in 2011 she chose Shane Connolly to design her bouquet. It was a combination of the Middletons’ and the royal family’s favourite stems. Each flower was symbolic: lilies, for the return of happiness; hyacinths, for steady love; ivy, for fidelity and friendship; and myrtle, the emblem of matrimony.
Autumn Kelly
When Queen Elizabeth’s grandson Peter Phillips married Autumn Kelly in 2008, the bride held a cascading bouquet made of roses, lily of the valley, stephanotis and ivy.
Zara Phillips
Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter Zara Phillips married Mike Tindall in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2011 and the bride’s bouquet included pale thistles, Scotland’s national flower. The stylish posy also contained calla lilies, hydrangeas and Senecio foliage.
Sofia Hellqvist
At Prince Carl Phillip and Princess Sofia of Sweden’s ceremony in 2015, the bride’s bouquet was an original burst of colorful coral garden roses. There was some family tradition too, with sprigs of myrtle from the bush brought to Sweden by Princess Margaret of Connaught. These sprigs have been used by Swedish royal brides since 1935.
Maxima Zorreguieta
On the day she married future King Willem-Alexande r of the Netherlands, Argentina-born Maxima carried a beautiful cascading bouquet of white roses, gardenias and lilies of the valley.
Letizia Ortiz
Queen Letizia of Spain’s bouquet elegantly combined Elizabethan roses, irises and lilies – all blooms that have been historically linked to husband King Felipe ’s Bourbon dynasty.
RELATED: Relive King Felipe and Queen Letizia’s royal wedding day
Mary Donaldson
Tasmanian-born Princess Mary married Prince Frederik of Denmark in 2004 and her bouquet was a dramatic cascade featuring antique roses, stephanotis, azaleas, spirea and eucalyptus flown in from Australia especially for the occasion, a nod to the bride’s heritage.
Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby
The unusual bouquet that Princess Mette-Marit of Norway carried on her wedding day in 2001 to Prince Haakon, consisted of purple and pale blooms and was called ‘Brudeloperen.’ The single mum played a key role in its design, assisted by Aina Nyberget Kleppe, the director of Oslo’s finest florist.
Camilla Parker Bowles
For the wedding blessing when she married Prince Charles in 2005, the Duchess of Cornwall carried a posy of spring flowers including lily of the valley and primroses in white, lavender and yellow. The bouquet also included a sprig of myrtle from Cornwall.
Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz
Queen Mathilde of Belgium made a floral statement with her large royal wedding bouquet. The green cascade was accented with white roses, lilies, and amaryllis, the same flowers used to decorate the cathedral as she walked down the aisle with King Philippe.
Princess Victoria
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden chose a stunning cascade of fragrant white flowers for her lavish nuptials to Daniel Westling in 2010, including lily of the valley, orchids, clematis, peonies, roses and gardenias.
Alessandra de Osma
When Alessandra de Osma wed Prince Christian of Hanover in Peru in March 2018, the bride kept her bouquet simple and traditional with seasonal white flowers. The discreet bouquet was the perfect touch to her classic lace gown by Jorge Vazquez, which echoed Princess Grace of Monaco ’s timeless wedding dress.
Charlene Wittstock
Princess Charlene of Monaco ’s teardrop bouquet was designed by Giorgio Armani and created by groom Prince Albert’s gardeners. The cascade design in varying shades of white and cream perfectly matched Princess Charlene’s Armani wedding dress.
Marie-Chantal Miller
Elegant in a Valentino dress, Princess Marie-Chantal married Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece in 1995 with a simple but eye-catching rose bouquet.
Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy
As Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Princess Stephanie of Luxembourg tied the knot in 2012, the bride held a cascading bouquet of white orchids created by Maison Lachaume. The Parisian creation complemented the over 3,000 blooms adorning Our Lady of Luxembourg cathedral where the ceremony was held.
Lady Diana Spencer
Prince Charles married Princess Diana in 1981 and her cascading bouquet of gardenias, stephanotis, orchids, lily of the valley, roses, freesia, veronica, spider lilies, myrtle and ivy reportedly weighed four pounds!
Rania Al-Yassin
When Queen Rania married King Abdullah of Jordan in 1993, she carried a bouquet made up of lots of greenery and florals featuring notes of white and yellow.
Sophie Rhys-Jones
Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son, Prince Edward, married Sophie, Countess of Wessex in 1999. The bride’s cascading bouquet paid homage to Princess Diana’s and consisted of ivory garden roses, stephanotis, lily of the valley, myrtle and freesia.