Commoners Who Married Royalty

Legendary Hollywood starlet Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III in 1956 in one of the world's most extravagant royal weddings. The two met at a photoshoot that she nearly missed. Kelly took on the title of Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco and the pair had three children together before Kelly was killed in a tragic car accident in 1982.

The handsome Prince William and would-be Duchess Kate Middleton met while attending St. Andrews University in Scotland. (And what a lucky lady! Just look at some of the most over-the-top gifts Prince William has given Kate Middleton). The two had an on and off relationship for several years, finally tying the knot in 2011, as the world watched on as one of the most publicized and publicly-embraced royal weddings in history took place live on television. With two beautiful children and a third on the way, there’s no doubt Kate has taken to motherhood as well as she’s taken to her title of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge.

Charlene Wittstock, a former Olympic swimmer from South Africa, first met Prince Albert II of Monaco in 2000 at a swim competition. The Olympic athlete and Grace Kelly’s son were wed in 2011 in spectacular royal fashion as Charlene officially took on her new title as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco.

If at first you don’t succeed… Prince Charles may have first dated Diana’s older sister, but it would be young Diana herself who would steal the Prince’s heart. The two were married in 1981 as Diana (who would've been referred to as Lady Diana before the marriage, since her father inherited the title of Earl Spencer) became Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales. Today, her legacy lives on, and we've even noticed similarities between her style and Kate Middleton's best looks. See 17 times Kate has channelled Princess Diana's sense of style.

Daniel Westling was first employed as the personal trainer to Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden before the simple country boy and princess fell in love and married in 2010. Their union was not immediately embraced by King Carl XVI Gustav, who worried Daniel would not be able to assimilate into a world so far and apart from his own, but after extensive royal “training,” Daniel was given the thumbs-up and the two hit the altar as the groom was formally granted the title of Prince Daniel of Sweden.

Masako Owada, a Harvard graduate, first met the Crown Prince Naruhito at an event for Princess Elena of Spain in 1986. It was love at first sight for the Prince, but for his would-be princess, it would take three proposals before his beloved would accept and officially become The Crown Princess of the Imperial House of Japan, marrying in 1993.

Maxima Cerruti had no idea she was in the presence of royalty when she first met would-be King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in 1999 at the Seville Spring Fair in Spain. The two were married in 2002, with the royal bride taking on the title of Queen Maxima of the Netherlands in 2013 after her prince ascended the throne to become King.

Rania Al Yassin was working for Apple, out of their office in Amman, when she first met then-prince Abdullah II at a dinner hosted by his sister – and it was love at first sight for the pair, who made it official in 1999 as Rania became a royal and is now under the title of Queen of Jordan.

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A CNN journalist on assignment in 2002, Letizia Ortiz was working on coverage of an oil spill along the Galicia shoreline when she first met then-Prince Felipe of Spain. The two were wed in 2004, and when King Felipe ascended the throne, his bride became Her Royal Highness The Queen of Asturias.

Then-prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck Bhutanese (whew!) first met his would-be bride at a picnic when she was just seven years old, 10 years his junior. In an adorable exchange, he told the young girl that when she grew up, if they were both single, they would be married. True to his word, the pair were married in 2011, officially titling Jetsun as the Queen of Bhutan.

A former event planner for designer Diane Von Furstenburg, Tatiana Blatnik first met notorious bachelor Prince Nikolaos on a ski trip in 2003. The two were married in a Greek ceremony in 2010 as the bride became Her Royal Highness Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark.

A former reality TV star and model, Sofia Hellqvist and Prince Carl Philip of Sweden announced their engagement in 2014 after stepping out as a couple in 2010. The pair wed in 2015 as the blushing bride became Princess Sofia, Duchess of Varmland.

An American-British financier, Christopher O’Neill married Princess Madeleine in 2013. Though he does not hold a title, this has been a benefit to Christopher, as it has enabled him to continue his career in finance as a private citizen.

One of three Miller sisters who have all had famed marriages (one sister Pia married into the Getty family and other Alexandra was once married to the son of designer Diane Von Furstenburg), Marie-Chantal married Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and became Crown Princess of Greece in 1995.