Dua Lipa and Callum Turner celebrate wedding in Palermo amid British press controversy
Palermo, 07 June 2026
Harald Krichel / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Summary
Pop star Dua Lipa and British actor Callum Turner held a multi-day wedding celebration in Palermo over the weekend, with more than 200 guests. The festivities drew local protests and a diplomatic row after British tabloids described the venues using mafia stereotypes, prompting sharp rebuttals from Sicilian officials.
Palermo, 07 June 2026
Pop star Dua Lipa and British actor Callum Turner held a multi-day wedding celebration in Palermo, Sicily, drawing more than 200 guests, local protests, and a diplomatic row with British tabloids that used mafia stereotypes in their coverage.
A film-set piazza and a brass-band first dance
The festivities began on Friday evening on the centrally located Piazza Croce dei Vespri, which had been extensively cordoned off since the afternoon. Live music and dancing started at around 9:00 PM, after pre-recorded music was played earlier, and continued late into the night. Dua Lipa, 30, appeared in a white, off-the-shoulder dress with a deep back neckline, while Turner wore a beige suit with a white shirt and no tie. The couple danced outdoors in the old town to the sounds of a brass band, surrounded by a film-set-like backdrop of vintage cars, a fruit stand, and several tables between the baroque buildings.
From Marylebone to Bagheria: a multi-day programme
The couple had married a few days earlier in a small ceremony at the old town hall in the Marylebone district of London, before travelling to Palermo for the public celebrations. The two have been a couple since January 2024 and announced their engagement in the summer of 2025. The British tabloid press has called the multi-day event the "Wedding of the Year".
Saturday's programme moved to the 18th-century baroque Villa Valguarnera in the nearby town of Bagheria, where the couple renewed their wedding vows in a strictly secured garden. More than 200 guests arrived at the venue in approximately 60 minivans, according to media reports. The evening in the villa's garden was divided into three parts: a ceremony, an indoor dinner, and an outdoor DJ set featuring four prominent international DJs. Law enforcement and private security personnel hired by the organisers were deployed at the gates of the villa, and the city of Bagheria ordered extensive parking and access restrictions in the area around the estate until 8 June to protect the privacy of the couple and their guests.
A guest list of designers, DJs and pop legends
Guests at the celebrations included fashion designer Donatella Versace, singers Charli XCX and Olivia Dean, music producer Mark Ronson with his wife Grace Gummer, daughter of Meryl Streep, DJ Peggy Gou, and members of the couple's families. Pop star Elton John, who had been expected to arrive on Saturday, was among the guests and performed at the piano, singing 'Your Song' for the couple during the celebration. Madonna was also reported to be among the attendees. Guests received fans printed with "D&C 6 june 2026" and the phrase "Stay made with me forever".
The villa, an 18th-century baroque estate, most recently served as a filming location for the Netflix series 'Il Gattopardo' (The Leopard). The Italian business newspaper 'Il Sole 24 Ore' estimates the total cost of the party at approximately four million euros. The couple stayed in a five-star hotel in Palermo, a city of roughly 630,000 inhabitants, during the celebrations. The festivities are scheduled to last until Sunday.
Local pushback: 'Palermo is not for rent'
The events triggered a small but vocal protest in Palermo. Approximately 30 demonstrators gathered near the celebration without any major incidents, according to media reports. Leaflets and banners reading 'Palermo steht nicht zur Miete' ('Palermo is not for rent') and 'Unser Platz ist nicht euer Wohnzimmer' ('Our square is not your living room') appeared near the venues, with the same messages displayed on a cloth hung from a balcony and on banners in the surrounding area. A citizens' initiative called Apro Palermo, which also opposes mass tourism, organised the action.
The protests were fuelled in part by the heavy security footprint of the celebration. The area around the square had been cordoned off extensively, streets were fully cleared about one hour before the event, and waiting fans, journalists, photographers and camera crews were affected by the street closures. Residents reported that business owners near the venues were asked to keep their shops closed, and several restaurateurs and other business people said they were bound by strict non-disclosure agreements. Media reported that a compensation of 1,000 euros was allegedly offered to affected businesses, though this was not initially confirmed.
Restaurant owner Francesco Costanzo complained to the news agency Ansa about the closures, saying: "People can't get through, not even on foot. On a global level, this is a nice showcase and can bring tourists to Palermo. At the moment, however, it is causing problems."
A diplomatic row over 'Mafia-Chic' headlines
Palermo Mayor Roberto Lagalla expressed understanding for citizens' concerns but defended the event, saying Palermo would not be 'handed over to anyone.' He also criticised the British press coverage, calling the use of the mafia stereotype unfair: "Wieder einmal erleben wir den Rückgriff auf ein ebenso überstrapaziertes wie ungerechtes Klischee, das eine komplexe, moderne und dynamische Region auf eine simple und beleidigende Darstellung reduziert."
The controversy was triggered by two British outlets. The Sun ran the headline "Sole, mare e sopranos, il passato brutale dell'isola amato dalle star" ("Sun, sea and Sopranos: the brutal past of the island loved by the stars") and stated that Cosa Nostra ruled Sicily 'with an iron fist for 150 years' and that the island hides a dark past behind its beauty. The newspaper also published photographs depicting significant moments of recent mafia history, including the Capaci massacre and the arrest of Giovanni Brusca. The Daily Telegraph initially described Bagheria as a 'Mafia-Nest' and only changed it to 'former Mafia-Nest' ('ex covo') after protests from Sicily.
Sicily's governor Renato Schifani reacted strongly to the coverage, calling the image damage inflicted on Sicilians enormous. He added that the wedding had drawn international attention to Sicilian beauty and excellence, making the revival of a stereotype more serious: "le nozze hanno acceso i riflettori internazionali sulle bellezze e sulle eccellenze della Sicilia, è quindi ancora più grave che sia stato scelto di richiamare un cliché che mortifica un intero popolo."
The Falcone Foundation also expressed indignation at the British media coverage, citing Queen Elizabeth II's 1992 visit to the Capaci memorial stele as an example of sensitivity. The 1992 Capaci bombing killed judge Giovanni Falcone, his wife Francesca Morvillo, and members of their police escort when their vehicle was blown up on a motorway. Mafia influence in the area has significantly declined due to tougher state action in the decades since.
Celebrity weddings in Italy: a familiar controversy
Palermo offers "Anti-Mafia tours" to businesses that no longer pay protection money, even as mafia-themed souvenirs remain popular items for foreign tourists. Italy has been a popular venue for celebrity weddings for decades, though Palermo is not previously known for hosting such events. The Bezos wedding in Venice in June 2025, when Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez held a large celebrity wedding that drew significant criticism for displaying wealth and sealing off all event venues, made global headlines in a similar fashion.
Mayor Lagalla, for his part, sees the party as great image advertising for the city. The celebrations are scheduled to continue in Palermo and Bagheria until Sunday, with security and street closures in place throughout the weekend.
Photo credits for the wedding images include REUTERS/Igor Petyx, Keystone/Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, and IMAGO/News Licensing.
Questions & Answers
Who are Dua Lipa and Callum Turner?
Dua Lipa is a British-Kosovar pop star known for songs including 'Don't Start Now' and 'Houdini', while Callum Turner is a British actor whose film credits include 'Boys in the Boat' and the 'Fantastic Beasts' series. The two have been a couple since January 2024 and announced their engagement in the summer of 2025.
Where did the wedding celebrations take place?
The couple held a small civil wedding at the old town hall in London's Marylebone district a few days before travelling to Sicily. The public celebrations began on Palermo's Piazza Croce dei Vespri on Friday and moved on Saturday to the 18th-century Villa Valguarnera in Bagheria, with festivities scheduled to continue until Sunday.
Why did British tabloid coverage cause a row in Sicily?
The Sun and the Daily Telegraph described the venues using mafia stereotypes, prompting Palermo's mayor and Sicily's governor to accuse the papers of unfairly reducing a modern, complex region to a cliché. The Falcone Foundation also expressed indignation and pointed to Queen Elizabeth II's 1992 visit to the Capaci memorial as an example of more sensitive coverage.
Dua Lipa Turner wedding Palermo: protests, mafia row | allfacts360
