The spectacular £8 million wedding of Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece
It is remembered as one of the largest gatherings of royals in London since Queen Elizabeth’s wedding to Prince Philip in 1946.
Today Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, and Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece celebrate their anniversary after 28 successful years of marriage.
Recalling the day Marie-Chantal Miller met Prince Pavlos of Greece in 1992, she told Vanity Fair in 2008. “It was love at first sight. I knew he was the person I would marry.’
The couple met on a blind date set up by New York investment banker Alecko Papamarkou, a mutual friend who was convinced things would work out, and he was right.
On July 1, 1995, the wedding day, 450 guests gathered at St Sophia’s Cathedral in Bayswater, London, for one of the largest royal gatherings the country had seen in decades. The guest list read like a Who’s Who of European royalty.
On July 1, 1995, the wedding anniversary of Prince Pavlos of Greece and Marie-Chantal Miller, 450 guests gathered for the occasion at St Sophia’s Cathedral in Bayswater, London
Their big day was the largest gathering of royals in London since Queen Elizabeth’s wedding to Prince Philip in 1946
The guest list read like a Who’s Who of European royalty
More monarchs were present than at the wedding of Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.
Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and Prince Charles were joined by the Duke and Duchess of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Prince Michael of Kent.
Queen Margrethe of Denmark, King Hussein and Queen Noor of Jordan and King Carl Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Silvia were also in attendance along with other members of the royal families of Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Jordan, Bulgaria and Luxembourg.
Princess Diana was unable to attend as she celebrated her 34th birthday with her sons, William and Harry, over a quiet luncheon at Ludgrove School in Berkshire.
When the bride, 26, walked into the cathedral with her father, billionaire Robert Warren Millet, she was dressed in a couture ivory silk dress that took 25 seamstresses four months to create with 12 different types of lace.
The form-fitting £170,000 Valentino Garavani wedding dress featured a high neckline, long lace sleeves, a floral appliqué skirt and was studded with white pearls.
Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece at the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel on October 12, 2018
The couple and their children pictured in 2021
Marie-Chantal wore a four-metre-long veil of Chantilly lace with a scalloped edge, held in place with a tiara borrowed from her mother-in-law, Queen Anne-Marie.
Crown Prince Pavlos, the 28-year-old son of the exiled King Constantine of Hellenes and his wife Queen Anne-Marie, waited for his bride on a raised platform.
The lavish event reportedly cost the bride’s father a whopping £8 million.
Their pre-wedding events were reportedly as grand as the day itself, with a champagne reception for 1,200 guests featuring 100,000 flowers flown in from Ecuador.
The couple, who celebrate their anniversary today, have since welcomed five children: daughter Olympia and four sons: Constantine, Achileas, Odysseas and Aristidis.
Here, the Mail’s Royals section takes a look back at the memorable moments of one of Europe’s most glamorous royal weddings…
Prince Pavlos of Greece and Marie Chantal Miller next to then Prince Felipe of Spain as he held one of the gold crowns during the ceremony
The beautiful ceremony, watched by royals and broadcast to the world, lasted an hour and was held in Greek
Marie-Chantal and Pavlos kissed her mother as the groom hugged his new father-in-law
Marie-Chantal wore a four-metre-long veil of Chantilly lace with a scalloped edge, held in place with a tiara borrowed from her mother-in-law, Queen Anne-Marie
Marie Chantal Miller and Prince Pavlos, King Hussein of Jordan, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Noor of Jordan, Queen Silvia and King Carl Gustaf of Sweden pictured outside the cathedral
The lavish event is said to set back the bride’s father, billionaire Robert Miller, £8 million
The bride and groom were photographed kissing in front of their pageboys and bridesmaids
The royal couple married at St. Sophia’s Greek Cathedral at the bride’s home in London
The heir to the Greek throne in exile, and his bride Marie-Chantal Miller, daughter of American-born businessman Robert Warren Miller, waving after their wedding ceremony
Prince Pavlos and his new bride, Marie-Chantal, waved to their audience as they exited St. Sophia’s Cathedral in London
The 450 guests included the late Queen Elizabeth and the then Prince Charles (pictured)
Prince Pavlos imagined greeting the benefactors outside the cathedral ahead of the ceremony
The newlyweds sat down for an elegant reception with their loved ones at London’s Hampton Court after their wedding