Wallis Simpson - Twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson married British King Edward VIII in 1937. The fact that she had been married twice before caused a constitutional crisis that led to the King's abdication of the throne. When they married, the couple became the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

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Caroline Lee Bouvier -

Jackie Kennedy's younger sister married Polish aristrocat Stanisław Albrecht Radziwiłł in 1959. The socialite and PR executive was a divorcée before becoming Princess Caroline Lee Radziwiłł. However, they officially split in 1974.

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Diana Frances Spencer - She's best remembered as Diana, Princess of Wales. She was 20 years old when she married then-Prince Charles in 1981. Prior to her marriage, the late princess was a dance instructor, school assistant, and a nanny. Of course, the couple famously divorced in 1996, when his ongoing affair with Camilla came to light.

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Catherine Middleton - The art history graduate met her future husband in 2001 at St Andrews University, Scotland. Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot in 2011 and took the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and are now parents to three adorable children. They became the Prince and Princess of Wales following the death of Queen Elizabeth, and one day, will likely ascend to the throne themselves.

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Meghan Markle - American actress Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in 2018, becoming the Duchess of Sussex. The couple are now parents to two children and live in the US, having stepped down as senior royals due to the pressure and breakdown of their relationships with the rest of the royal family.

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Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano -

Before marrying Felipe VI of Spain, Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano was a journalist and news anchor for Televisión Española and CNN. She was also a divorcee. The couple married in 2004 and they have two daughters together.

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Rania Al Yassin - Rania Al Yassin married Prince Abdullah in 1993. They became King and Queen of Jordan in 1999. She holds a bachelor's degree in business management and previously worked at Citibank and Apple.

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Lisa Najeeb Halaby -

Lisa Najeeb Halaby, an American architect and trained journalist became Queen Noor of Jordan when she married King Hussein of Jordan in 1978. They were together until his death in 1999.

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Jamie Lee Curtis - Award-winning actress and author Jamie Lee Haden-Guest is best know as Jamie Lee Curtis in Hollywood. She is married Christopher Haden-Guest, who became the 5th Baron Haden-Guest in the County of Essex when his father died in 1999.

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Masako Owada - Masako Owada and her husband Naruhito are Empress and Emperor of Japan, respectively. Prior to her marriage, Owada was a diplomat. She reportedly originally refused to marry the prince because that meant she would have to drop her career.

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Charlene Wittstock - The South African Olympic swimmer, who was born in Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe), married Albert II, Prince of Monaco in 2011. They are now parents to twins.

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Diane von Fürstenberg -

Diane Simone Michelle Halfin married Prince Egon de Fürstenberg in 1969, which made her Princess Diane of Fürstenberg. A year into her marriage, the American-Belgian Princess got in to fashion design and went on to make a name for herself as Diane von Fürstenberg. The couple ultimately divorced in 1983.

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Jetsun Pema - In 2011, at age 21, Jetsun Pema married the King of Bhutan, becoming the youngest Queen Consort in the world. Before marrying, Pema studied international relations and psychology at Regent's College in London.

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Hope Cooke - Hope Cooke met her future husband, King Palden Thondup Namgyal of the Kingdom of Sikkim, when she was a freshman at college. When she divorced the Tibetan King in 1980, she reinvented herself as an author, columnist, and urban historian.

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Salma Bennani - Salma Bennani worked as an engineer before marrying King Mohammed VI and becoming Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco in 2002. Bennani made history as the first wife of a Moroccan ruler to be given a royal title. They divorced in 2018.

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Mary Donaldson - Before becoming Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, Mary Donaldson worked in marketing, PR, property, teaching, and consultancy across Europe and Australia. In 2000 she met Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, at a bar in Sydney. The Tasmanian married her prince in 2004, and they have four children together.

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Sonja Haraldsen - Sonja Heraldsen, the Queen of Norway, is the daughter of a merchant. Her husband's father was initially against her marriage to the King of Norway, because she didn't have royal blood.

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Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby - Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby was a single mother when she met Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway. She became a princess when they married in 2001.

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Grace Kelly -

Grace Kelly had a booming acting career in Hollywood before she married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. The former Princess of Monaco is still considered one the most beautiful princesses in history.

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Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti - The Argentinian economics graduate is Queen Máxima of the Netherlands and wife of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. Before marrying, Cerruti studied and worked in Argentina, the United States, and Belgium.

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Marie-Chantal Miller -

Marie-Chantal Miller met Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, on a blind date organized by a friend in 1992. They tied the knot in 1995. Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece is a board member of the DFS Group Ltd, a luxury retailer. She also founded a children's fashion label in 2000.

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Silvia Renate Sommerlath - Before marrying into royalty, Silvia Renate Sommerlath was an interpreter. The German-born polyglot can speak six languages. She met Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in 1972 and they tied the knot four years later.

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Sofia Kristina Hellqvist - Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland, was a model and reality star before she met Prince Carl Philip of Sweden. They married in 2015.

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Autumn Kelly - Canadian management consultant Autumn Kelly met Peter Phillips in 2002 in her native Canada. Queen Elizabeth II's grandson married Kelly in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in 2008. However, the couple divorced in June 2021.

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A. J. Langer -

You may know A. J. Langer from the TV series 'My So-Called Life'. You may also know her as Allison Joy Courtenay, Countess of Devon, and wife of Charles Courtenay, 19th Earl of Devon, England.

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Laura Elena Harring -

Laura Harring is an Mexican-American actress and former Miss USA. She was the first Hispanic woman to win the American beauty pageant. She was married to German politician and count Carl-Eduard von Bismarck-Schönhausen from 1987 to 1989. When married, her title was Laura Elena, Countess von Bismarck-Schönhausen.

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Claire Lademacher - Claire Lademacher was a bioethics researcher before she married Prince Félix of Luxembourg in 2013. The two met at a private university in Switzerland.

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Tatiana Ellinka Blatnik -

Before becoming Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark, she was an event organizer and consultant to Diane von Fürstenberg. She married Prince Nikolaos in 2010.

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Elisabetta Rosboch von Wolkenstein - Elisabetta Rosboch von Wolkenstein was a journalist before she married Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este in 2014. The two met while studying in London.

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Kendra Spears - Kendra Spears began modeling in 2008 and was on the New York Fashion Week catwalk by 2009. She has since married Prince Rahim Aga Khan, son of the 49th and current Imam of Nizari Ismailism, Prince Karim Aga Khan.

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Beatrice Borromeo - In 2014, Borromeo married the youngest son of Carolina of Monaco, Pierre Casiraghi. The couple met while studying at the same university in Milan. Before they married, Beatrice graduated with a degree in journalism.

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Olivia Wilde -

Hollywood actress Olivia Wilde was married to Italian photographer Tao Ruspoli, son of aristrocat Alessandro Ruspoli, 9th Prince of Cerveteri. They married in 2003 but divorced in 2011.

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Getty Images

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Rita Hayworth -

Rita Hayworth, who was born Margarita Carmen Cansino, was a famous American actress and dancer in the 1940s. She married Prince Aly Khan, son of Aga Khan III, in 1949.

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Caroline Lee Bouvier -

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Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano -

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Lisa Najeeb Halaby -

Lisa Najeeb Halaby, an American architect and trained journalist became Queen Noor of Jordan when she married King Hussein of Jordan in 1978. They were together until his death in 1999.

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Charlene Wittstock - The South African Olympic swimmer, who was born in Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe), married Albert II, Prince of Monaco in 2011. They are now parents to twins.

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Diane von Fürstenberg -

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Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby - Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby was a single mother when she met Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway. She became a princess when they married in 2001.

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Grace Kelly -

Grace Kelly had a booming acting career in Hollywood before she married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. The former Princess of Monaco is still considered one the most beautiful princesses in history.

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Marie-Chantal Miller -

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Sofia Kristina Hellqvist - Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland, was a model and reality star before she met Prince Carl Philip of Sweden. They married in 2015.

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A. J. Langer -

You may know A. J. Langer from the TV series 'My So-Called Life'. You may also know her as Allison Joy Courtenay, Countess of Devon, and wife of Charles Courtenay, 19th Earl of Devon, England.

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Laura Elena Harring -

Getty Images

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Claire Lademacher - Claire Lademacher was a bioethics researcher before she married Prince Félix of Luxembourg in 2013. The two met at a private university in Switzerland.

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Tatiana Ellinka Blatnik -

Before becoming Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark, she was an event organizer and consultant to Diane von Fürstenberg. She married Prince Nikolaos in 2010.

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Olivia Wilde -

Hollywood actress Olivia Wilde was married to Italian photographer Tao Ruspoli, son of aristrocat Alessandro Ruspoli, 9th Prince of Cerveteri. They married in 2003 but divorced in 2011.

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Iconic women who married into royalty

Successful women who happened to marry princes

01/07/24 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Royalty

The love story of Queen Camilla and King Charles is a long and complicated one. Their youthful romance was interrupted when Charles went overseas with the Royal Navy in 1973, but their connection never dwindled, even as they married other people and decades passed. Despite the scandal surrounding their infidelity, Charles insisted that his relationship with Camilla was "non-negotiable" once they were both divorced and free to be together. In 2005, they finally got married after so many years of waiting. Camilla slipped rather seamlessly into her role as a senior member of the royal family, carrying out her duties by her husband's side like an old pro. On May 6, 2023, the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla took place—something that no one could have imagined a few decades earlier.

Camilla undoubtedly claimed the top spot when it comes to marrying into royalty! However, many other iconic women have fallen in love with princes, kings, emperors, and sultans. These women built and enjoyed successful careers and lifestyles before meeting their royal soul mates. Although in some cases, the soul connection didn't last...

Click on to take a look at the successful women who married royals.