Kate Middleton's impeccable sense of style has been sorely missing from royal events this year. We totally respect the Princess of Wales staying home and taking care of herself as she undergoes cancer treatment, but we will still miss her at the 2024 Royal Ascot on June 18. Usually, Kate attends the horseracing event in some of her best summery styles. In lieu of a new outfit for this year's event, though, we're looking back at some of the best royal fashion at Royal Ascot.
Kate is not the only royal woman who has brought stellar style to the event. Unsurprisingly, Princess Diana was a Royal Ascot staple in her days. And other family members such as Meghan Markle, Sarah Ferguson and her daughters, and even Queen Elizabeth have been spotted in fashionable ensembles over the years. Perhaps in Kate's absence, Princess Beatrice or Princess Eugenie will blow us away with their dresses in 2024.
Until we see the new looks, let's look through some of the best from the past few decades.
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Laced Up
Kate Middleton's first time attending the Royal Ascot was in 2016, five years after she married into the royal family, according to Forbes. For the occasion, she wore a lacy white dress from Dolce & Gabbana and a cream fascinator. A good white dress is such a summertime staple; the princess chose well.
White Button-Down
Meghan Markle only ever attended the Royal Ascot once during her time as part of the royal family. She showed up in 2018 after marrying Prince Harry the month prior. According to Vanity Fair, her white button-down dress was by Givenchy, the same brand as her wedding dress.
Summer Blues
For the 2019 Royal Ascot, Kate wore a pale blue Elie Saab dress. What we love about this look is that it's both modest and modern. It has long sleeves and a high neckline, but the sheer panels on the dress still show some skin to keep her from looking too buttoned-up. Plus, the Royal Ascot is a summertime event, so the mesh sleeves probably helped her stay cool.
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Royal Red
Kate's look for last year's Royal Ascot was a stunning bright red dress with a matching clutch and big crimson hat. The dress was an Alexander McQueen design — a staple brand for the princess. She paired the look with chunky, dangly earrings, which was a little outside her traditional jewelry comfort zone. We kind of love how over-the-top it all was, very fitting for an over-the-top event.
Pretty in Polka Dots
For all the years that Kate attended the Royal Ascot, she made waves with her looks, but one of her absolute standouts was the 2022 polka dot dress by Alexandra Rich. Not only was the black and white outfit stunning on Kate, but it was also nearly identical to a dress Princess Diana wore to the same event three decades prior.
Diana Did It First
Princess Diana wore this Victor Edelstein dress to the 1988 Royal Ascot. Although Kate's version was slightly more modern in silhouette, it's very nearly identical. We love when Kate makes fashion nods to her mother-in-law. It just goes to show how much of an influence Diana still has on women's style today.
Maternity Style
Even while pregnant, Diana didn't miss the summertime event. She's pictured here in 1984 while pregnant with Prince Harry. Fortunately for her, 1980s fashion was already pretty billowy, so the princess didn't even necessarily need to wear maternity-specific outfits. We love the color of her peach dress.
All in Stripes
This ensemble is very '80s with the bold striped hat juxtaposed with the smaller stripes on the scarf, but that's what Diana was good at. She loved to mix patterns and make fashion decisions that were a little out of the box. She looks so summery here, and it's a perfect style for the Royal Ascot.
Bright Yellow
Diana was never afraid of wearing color, and this was her look for the 1987 Royal Ascot. The bright yellow dress adorned with colorful flowers would have looked just as at home on a tropical vacation, but we admire the princess for wearing it instead to a formal racing event.
Pink Suit
This gorgeous pink Catherine Walker suit was Princess Diana's outfit for the 1989 Royal Ascot. It's giving Barbie vibes in the best way. Kate Middleton actually still wears this designer today. Just another thing the two Princesses of Wales have in common.
Color Blocked
Another example of Diana's bold fashion sense was this purple and red Catherine Walker suit from 1990. These colors could feel a little clownish if done incorrectly. But by keeping the colors separate on the jacket and skirt and combining them on the hat — while breaking things up with her neutral blouse — it actually worked so well.
Sister-in-Law Coordination
Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, and Princess Diana were very good friends. They proved as much when they coordinated their Royal Ascot outfits. Diana's bold striped pattern stood out a little more than Sarah's muted navy and white ensemble, but they went very well with each other.
All Red
Long before Kate Middleton's all-red Royal Ascot outfit, Sarah Ferguson did the same thing in 1990. Her ensemble was a little more daring, though, because some stereotypes suggest that people with red hair shouldn't wear red. Sarah proved that idea totally wrong. She looked great.
Bold Hues
Princess Diana wasn't the only royal known for bringing bright colors to the Royal Ascot. This photo from the 1991 event shows Sarah Ferguson in green and purple, Princess Margaret in bright red (with a fantastic feathery hat), and the Queen herself in a pink floral outfit. It's iconic.
Pop of Color
It isn't often that we see the royals wearing orange, but we kind of love the pop of color on Beatrice at the 2014 Royal Ascot. It's not too bold, because she's still wearing a neutral blazer, but it's still fun and summery. Beatrice should encourage her fellow royals to give orange a try.
Breezy Green
Sarah Ferguson's daughter Princess Eugenie is just as stylish as her mom while updating her looks for the modern age. This flowy green dress was Eugenie's 2019 look. Sometimes the York princesses have been made fun of for dressing too out there, but this dress was classic and chic.
Modern Art
Eugenie's sister Princess Beatrice tends to dress with a little more pizzaz when going to the Royal Ascot, and we love this sort of modern art style dress with the color blocking and big circular patches. The pastel colors look perfect for a summer activity.
Summer Florals
It's hard to go wrong with flowers for summer. Beatrice wore this gauzy pink floral gown to the 2022 Royal Ascot — her first with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. The couple looked quite dapper together. We like that Edoardo matched his tie to Beatrice's dress.
