Oldest Royal Bride at 29!

Oldest Royal Bride at 29!

Published on Apr 14, 2011

Royal Brides in history

At the age of 29, Kate Middleton will be the oldest spinster ever to marry a future king when she marries Prince William in 2 weeks time!

There have only been two women who were older when they married a king-in-waiting, and both were divorcees. The most recent, of course, was The Duchess of Cornwall who was 57 when she became the Prince of Wales’s second wife in 2005.

We have to go back a lot further in time for the other, which was Eleanor of Aquitaine who was about 30 years old when she married the future Henry II in 1152, though her exact date of birth is not known.

The oldest woman to marry a reigning king is thought to be Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII, who was 30 when she married in 1543. She would have been considered very old as Royal brides in history were typically in their teens when they married.

The youngest royal bride was Isabella of Valois, who was aged just six when she became the second wife of Richard II in 1396. Eleanor of Castile married Edward I of England at age 10.

But really it doesn’t matter how old you are. Minnie Munro in Australia was a mere 102 when she got married, proving it’s never too late!

Read more of our Royal Wedding blog posts:

Give your weekend a Royal theme

A Right Royal Stag Do