A Legacy of Royal Glamour at the Met Gala
The Met Gala is more than just a fashion event; it’s a celebration of style, culture, and the occasional touch of royalty. Since its inception, the Metropolitan Museum of Art fundraiser has attracted some of the most influential figures in the world, offering a platform for extravagance, creativity, and performance.
Anna Wintour, who has led the event since 1995, has often spoken about the significance of royal attendance at the Met Gala. In 2019, she expressed her dream of having both Catherine, the now-Princess of Wales, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, grace the red carpet. “I would love to have the Duchess of Sussex and Duchess of Cambridge together,” she said on Today. “They could leave their husbands at home; it’s the two of them I want.”
While neither has attended yet, if they do, they will be joining an impressive list of royals who have already made their mark on the event. From Princess Diana to Queen Rania of Jordan, the Met Gala has seen its fair share of regal presence.
Princess Diana: A Timeless Icon
Princess Diana only attended the Met Gala once, in 1996, but that was enough to make history. She arrived in a navy slip dress designed by John Galliano for Dior, which matched her beloved sapphire jewellery. The look, however, wasn’t what was originally planned.
According to Galliano, Diana made a last-minute modification to the dress. “Fast-forward to the event, and I just remember her getting out of the car,” he said in the series In Vogue: The 90s. “I couldn’t believe it. She’d ripped the corset out. She didn’t want to wear the corset. She felt so liberated. She’d torn the corset out. The dress was much more sensuous.”
Diana’s appearance was a turning point for the event, and according to insiders, it inspired Wintour to elevate the Met Gala into the spectacle it is today.
Filipa Fino, a former senior accessories director at American Vogue, worked with Wintour for seven years. Speaking to The Times, she recalled how Diana attending the event with Wintour’s then-rival, Harper’s Bazaar editor Elizabeth Tilberis, spurred her former boss to take the event more seriously.
Sadly, Diana died just eight months after her Met Gala appearance. “This seed of Anna never being able to host Princess Diana at the Met, and her vision of what it should be like – worthy of a princess – is what drove her from 1996 to today,” Fino said.
Other Royal Attendees
Princess Beatrice made a surprise appearance at the 2018 Met Gala, embracing the theme of Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination in a regal purple gown by Alberta Ferretti.
Queen Rania of Jordan has also graced the Met Gala twice, in 2007 and 2016. For the 2007 event, themed Poiret: King of Fashion, she wore a structured, kaftan-style navy and black gown. For the 2016 Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology event, she chose a Valentino design.
Charlotte Casiraghi, the 12th in line to the throne of Monaco, has attended the Met Gala four times. As the granddaughter of Hollywood star-turned-royal Grace Kelly, she has consistently brought her unique, edgy aesthetic to the event. From a colorful Gucci dress in 2016 to a lacey black number in 2023, her style has always stood out.
Princess Marie-Chantal, married to Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece and Prince of Denmark, has a deep love for the arts. She attended the New York Academy of Art and Fashion Institute of Technology and even interned under Andy Warhol while in high school. For the 2001 event, which celebrated the White House fashion of Jackie Kennedy, she wore a draped, one-shoulder Valentino gown worn by the former US first lady herself.
Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis, a German journalist and socialite, has made four appearances at the Met Gala. She embraced different styles, from structured minis to punk looks. Her 2013 appearance, themed PUNK: Chaos to Couture, was particularly memorable. She later returned in 2016 and 2017 with two very different looks—a Swarovski-crystal-studded mini dress by Mary Katrantzou and a dusty-pink Simone Rocha jacket with floral appliques.
The Future of the Met Gala
With so many royals already making their mark, the question remains: will more members of the royal family join this exclusive list at future Met Galas? While we can’t say for sure, one thing is clear—each appearance adds to the legacy of this iconic event.
