Olivia Wilde Opens Up About Marrying Italian Prince at 19 and Divorcing in Her Mid-20s

Olivia Wilde is looking back on one of the most unconventional chapters of her life: a teenage marriage to an Italian prince that ended in divorce before she turned 30.

The actress, now 42, recently opened up on the Call Her Daddy podcast about her June 2003 wedding to Tao Ruspoli, who is both a prince and filmmaker. She was just 19 at the time.

Wilde described the spontaneous nature of the union, explaining how the decision came together at Burning Man. "The decision was made at Burning Man and I believe there was a Burning Man sort of ceremony and then the paperwork was done back in Los Angeles with a man who, I think we found the internet, and like showed up so we signed a paper that's probably invalid," she recalled.

The whirlwind nature of it all hit her almost immediately. She acknowledged her pattern of impulsive choices at the time, saying she questioned her decision right away. "And then, immediately, I was like, 'Wait, what the f—k did I just do?' Because I had a pattern already at that point of spontaneous decision making. And I think that is one of the beauties of youth, but I would get myself into a whole bunch of trouble all the time."

Despite not actively seeking marriage, Wilde found the spontaneity appealing. "It seemed like probably the craziest thing to do, and it was so romantic and insane," she explained.

The couple maintained what Wilde describes as a distinctly non-traditional arrangement. "We did not have a very traditional marriage. It was very bohemian. And I am grateful for it because it meant that I spent most of my twenties [that way]," she shared.

Wilde and Ruspoli announced their separation in February 2011, with their divorce becoming final later that same year. Looking back now, she views the split without bitterness. "It was not a very tumultuous breakup. It was just like, this is clearly… we have grown up. We're in very different stages of life. And it's funny now. Like, we're friends. I mean, it seems like 100,000 years ago, it's crazy," she said.