Charlene, the Princess of Monaco and the wife of Grace Kelly’s son, is one of Europe’s most elegant first ladies. This beautiful woman with a sad smile and kind eyes became yet another modern-day Cinderella, and her wedding was one of the most spectacular events of the beginning of the 21st century.

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Few recall that the ceremony could have been called off. Before the memorable July day in 2011, she had known her husband for over 10 years. But the weeks and months preceding the wedding were marred by scandals. Albert II was alleged to have had numerous affairs and even illegitimate children. It was rumored that the future Princess had three times attempted to leave Monaco to return to her homeland, but each time she was stopped.

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Many didn’t believe that the ceremony would take place, but at 5 pm local time, immaculately elegant Charlene Wittstock entered the courtyard of the medieval palace in an elegant Armani silk dress.

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The morning of her special day started in a suite of the Hermitage Hotel, where she was joined by Roberta Armani, a niece of the famous fashion designer. Charlene’s blond locks were gathered in a neat bun, and instead of a tiara – which she refused – her hair was adorned with antique diamond hair clips.

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Her dress was a masterpiece created by the legendary Giorgio Armani. Like no one else, he understood that comparisons with her predecessor, Grace Kelly, were unavoidable. And the fashion designer created the unthinkable: the embodiment of royal sophistication and luxurious simplicity.

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The dress took 3 seamstresses more than 7,000 hours in total to make the dress. Despite the fact that Charlene had been a professional swimmer for many years, the designer decided to leave the shoulder line open. A delicate shade of ivory beautifully emphasized the bride’s skin.

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The magnificence of the garment was further ramped up by a 16.4-ft train adorned with 40,000 Swarovski crystals and 20,000 mother-of-pearl teardrops forming an original, slightly floral pattern.

Giorgio Armani had known the Princess-to-be since 2006. It was his dresses that she wore to ceremonial events during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The fashion designer considered Charlene an embodiment of elegance and kindness, and her figure – perfect. This is how he imagined a woman to create true masterpieces for. And one of them was undoubtedly Charlene’s wedding dress.

This outfit went down in history as one of the most elegant, expensive, and beautiful. It wasn’t inferior to dresses of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, or Kate Middleton. Like many famous brides, the Princess had a second dress for the civil ceremony that was held on the same day. This one of light and flowing fabrics and of a gentle sky-blue shade was also made by Giorgio Armani.