Most stylish princesses through history

As the world welcomes a new princess, we look at the most stylish - from fiction and real life - through history

When Grace Kelly became a real-life princess upon her marriage to Prince Rainier III in 1956 it was like a fairytale brought to life. She quickly became lauded for her timeless style, even inspiring Hermès's best-selling 'Kelly' bag

 

South African former Olympic swimmer Charlene Whittstock became Charlene, Princess of Monaco when she married Prince Albert II in 2011. From her elegant Armani wedding dress fashioned out of 130 metres of silk, to her ability to carry off a trouser suit with aplomb, the statuesque blonde has carved herself a place in princess style history 

 

Princess Deena Al-Juhani Abdulaziz, a member of the Saudi royal family, is one very modern princess - so much so that she owns two fashion boutiques in Riyadh and Doha. Most often spotted on the front row, she's become a stalwart of the fashion pack. Need more proof that she's fashion personified? For her marriage to Prince Abdulaziz Bin Nasser Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, son of Prince Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, she wore a custom gown by Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Louboutin has named a shoe after her

Princess Margaret was a style icon of her time. She fully embraced Dior's 'New Look' in the Fifties, winning her legions of admiring fans, and went on to become the poster girl for understated elegance

  

 

Cinderella has been portrayed in countless ways, but it is the fairytale character's most recent incarnation by way of Lily James that is the most breathtaking

Diana, Princess of Wales had a huge impact on the fashions of the Eighties and Nineties, and everything she wore was closely scrutinised. She epitomised the 'Sloane Ranger' look with an added dash of glamour

Princess Virginia of Fürstenberg, known publicly as Ira von Fürstenberg (pictured here in 1955), is the daughter of Prince Tassilo zu Fürstenberg. A socilaite, jewellery designer, actress and also the former head of press for Valentino, has always been a keen follower of fashion and remains so until this day

Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece, wore a Valentino dress to wed Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece in 1995, and remains close friends with the designer. Her style is sophisticated with a contemporary edge

A very modern princess, Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis (or TNT, as she's known to her friends) is style-editor-at-large for Vogue as well as a journalist and general socilaite. Often spotted at the most glamorous of parties, she's always one step ahead when it comes to style, and at a glance you'd never know she was part of one of Germany's oldest, wealthiest, and most prominent families

Top model Kendra Spears became Princess Salwa Aga Khan when she wed Prince Rahim Aga Khan in August 2013. The statuesque beauty is blessed with natural elegance and the ability to make pretty much anything look a million dollars

Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, is arguably the most stylish real-life princess of our time and often pips the Duchess of Cambridge to the post in 'most stylish royal' lists. The Australian-born wife of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark practically has designers falling at her feet to dress her

Princess Madeleine of Sweden is the Duchess of Cambridge of the Swedish royal family. Her style status was cemented when she wore beautiful Valentino haute couture to wed Chris O'Neill in 2013

With Grace Kelly as her mother, Caroline, Princess of Hanover (formerly Princess of Monaco, before her current marriage) was always going to be stylish. She is pictured here aged 17 in 1975.