For those who don't know, Kate Middleton is a fashion icon, but before her, there was Princess Diana. The late Lady Di was such a trendsetter that many of her '80s and '90s looks have endured and are still popular today — so much, in fact, that even the Duchess of Cambridge has copied Princess Diana's style over the years. It must be nice to have a mother-in-law so chic to pull inspiration from.
Some of these matching examples may have been coincidences, but some seem too spot on to not be a Diana reference. Surely the royal stylist knew that Diana also once came out of the hospital dressed in a red dress with a white collar after having a baby. That's also what Kate wore after having Prince Louis.
It's so spot on.
There are also times that Kate's worn some of Diana's favorite jewelry pieces, which feels intentional. After all, Kate is the proud owner of Princess Di's engagement ring, handed down from Diana's estate to Prince Harry, who gave it to Prince William for his future wife. Kate's even rocked one of Diana's favorite diamond and pearl tiaras to events before. In that case, she had to have known what she was doing.
We've rounded up all the times Kate and Diana looked so similar, and, coincidence or not, Kate proves that these styles are all still so trendy today. Some of these fashions Diana wore over 30 years ago, but they're still in (or back in) now. Just imagine 30 more years from now when Princess Charlotte is out there being a style icon and copying both her mom and her grandma's looks.The fashion world isn't ready.
But for now, enjoy these examples of all the times Kate twinned with her mother-in-law.
Love to Ski
Prince William and Prince Harry grew up skiing with their mom, so it makes sense that William wanted to find a wife who shared his passion for the sport. Kate also loves to ski, and it was actually a ski trip where William and Kate first made their relationship official to the public and media. Kate didn't just copy Diana's love for hitting the slopes, she also copied her red ski jacket look. It will never go out of style.
Seeing Blue
Kate and Diana both wore lovely blue dresses for their respective engagement photo shoots. Kate's dress is obviously a bit more modern since it was no longer the '80s, but the colors are so similar — perhaps to complement the sapphire engagement ring. Kate's ring is actually the same engagement ring William's mom wore. It has a lovely sapphire in the center, which pops alongside their respective blue dresses.
Huge Hats
At one of Kate's earliest royal functions, she wore an oversized black hat and a red coat over a black top. Decades earlier, Diana had worn a similarly large black hat, red coat, and black blouse. They also both wore them at similar times of the year. Diana's look was her Christmas Day outfit, and Kate wore hers on December 15 at the Sovereign's Parade at Sandhurst Military Academy.
Bold & Bright
Purple is a pretty bold color to wear, but Princess Diana never shied away from wearing something bold. She went with a stunning purple gown for a Chicago gala at the Field Museum of Natural History. The dress was designed by Versace and her matching purple shoes were designed by Jimmy Choo. She also carried a matching purple clutch. She went all out with this coordinated color palette.
Purple for Kate, Too
Kate is just as bold as Diana when it comes to wearing bright colors. For a trip to Ottawa in 2011, the duchess wore a gorgeous purple dress that she accessorized with a maple leaf pin for the Canada Day celebration. Kate wore this shortly after marrying into the royal family, and it seems like she was finding some of her style footing by looking back on what Diana wore to functions.
Strapless Beauty
Strapless dresses aren't something we think of when we think of the royal family, because they usually keep things more modest. But Diana wore this gorgeous black gown to a fundraiser in 1981 before she married Prince Charles. She was probably nervous to go to such a high-profile event, but she stunned fellow guests with her outfit alone.
Copycat Duchess
In 2011, Kate wore a similarly charming strapless black gown to the Sun Military Awards. This wasn't the duchess's first royal engagement, but it was one of the first in her first year of marriage to Prince William. Channeling Princess Diana's effortless party style was a great choice on Kate's part. And it was also pretty much the last time Kate wore a strapless gown. At least she picked a good one to go out on!
Polka Dots for a New Baby
Both Diana and Kate went with pretty polka dot dresses for their first appearance following their first birth. After having Prince William, Diana wore a teal-colored dress. Kate opted for more of a sky blue with Prince George, but the polka dot similarities feels like more than a coincidence. It was a way to commemorate Princess Di on the big day that her first grandchild was born.
Princess Diana Loved This Tiara
The Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara was a particular favorite of Princess Diana's. She wore it many times while part of the royal family, although it was reportedly so heavy that it hurt her head, according to Town & Country magazine. With such sentimental value surrounding the piece, it's not surprising that Kate Middleton would end up wearing it one day, in a sweet nod to her late mother-in-law. It belongs to Queen Elizabeth, who loans it out occasionally for formal functions.
Kate's Worn the Gorgeous Lover's Knot Tiara
This photo shows Kate wearing the Lover's Knot tiara to a diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace in 2016, but she first wore it in 2015 to another Buckingham Palace event. Town & Country reported that 2015 was the first time anyone had seen the piece since Princess Diana's death, and it warmed many people's hearts to see it on the head of one of Diana's son's wives.
Showing Respect
Just like Diana, Kate shows respect for cultures around the world. The photo on the left shows Diana wearing a gauzy headscarf during a trip to a hospital in Pakistan. The photo on the right shows the Duchess wearing a similar headscarf at the As Syakirin Mosque in Malaysia in 2012. Not only did they both show respect for the local cultures, but Kate went with an almost identical white scarf and buttoned gown as Diana for her own trip.
Diana Loved a Print
Diana wasn't afraid to rock a print (or even mix them!). She wore this red houndstooth patterned coat to Toronto for an official Canada visit in 1991. Little did she know that a similar look would be worn by her daughter-in-law nearly 30 years later. Of course, style has changed a bit since '91, so Kate's look was different, but it was similar in a major way.
Kate Has Also Worn a Red Houndstooth Coat
In 2018, Kate put her own spin on the red houndstooth pattern with this chic coat. She wore this particular look during a tour of Sweden and paired the coat with gloves and a chic oxblood bag. This was only a few months before Prince Louis was born, so Kate's pregnant here. That's what's nice about a coat for maternity wear, it can be loosened by moving some buttons.
Black & White Polka Dots
Polka dots were all the rage in the '80s, and Diana was right on trend. She wore this fetching white dress with black polka dots to Royal Ascot in 1988. She even paired it with a matching spotted black and white hat with a wide, trendy brim. (Kate also loves to match her hat to the rest of her color-coordinated look, wonder who she got that from?)
Spotted: Kate Echoing Diana
At the 2017 Wimbledon tennis tournament opening, Kate also wore a white dress with black polka dots. Unlike her mother-in-law, she didn't match it with a hat, and the dots are much larger here than on Princess Di's dress, but the effect is the same. Diana was so on top of the trends that she's still in style three decades later — and she sure would love Kate's fashion sense.
All Dressed in Red
When Diana left the hospital with Prince Harry, she wore a red dress with a white collar. When Kate left the hospital with Prince Louis, she also wore a red dress with a white collar. Kate's collar was lace and a little bigger, but the homage was hard to miss. Princess Di may no longer be with us, but Kate's keeping her sense of style alive and well.
Velvet Collar
Diana — who is carrying baby Prince William here — made mom fashion so chic with this gray coat accented with a black velvet collar. This was actually a travel look for the Princess who was at the airport on her way back from a vacation at Balmoral, where the royals still travel today. Want to know what else one royal does today? Kate Middleton has also worn a velvet-collared gray coat before.
Velvet is A-OK for Kate
This chic gray blazer looks updated but also has that '80s touch of a black velvet collar, which Kate then paired with a black turtleneck. The duchess wore this look in 2018, so over 30 years after Diana sported a similar look. It's true what they say: everything old is new again. Kate seems to be taking some major style pointers from the princess who came before.
Trying on Tartan
What else does one wear to the Scottish Highland Games than a green and blue tartan dress? Princess Di embraced the spirit of the day with this 1987 frock. Although it was stylish at the time, it is a little bit dated by the lace collar and cuffs. However, Kate would soon update this look for a more modern time without losing any of its original Diana charm.
Kate Loves Tartan, Too
This homage to Diana's style uses the same Black Watch tartan, but Kate wisely lost the lace accents and kept things more simple. The duchess wasn't at the Highland Games like Diana was, but Kate did play some games during this 2012 St. Andrew's Day outing. She even hit the field to play some hockey in her heeled boots. Now that's a commitment to the competition.
Pretty in Pink
Bold colors like bright pink were trendy in the '80s and early '90s. Diana fully embraced that with this pink coat for a London outing in 1990. She kept things a little more traditional with her black skirt, but all that really did was help her pink top pop even more against the darker color. Decades later, Kate would also venture out in a bright pink coat.
Pretty in Pink Take Two
Kate didn't tone things down with a black skirt when she wore this in London in 2015. She went full pink with her coatdress that also featured large black buttons like Diana's coat did. We can't help but think the princess would be looking down on Kate's outfit here, so pleased that she took a style risk and had some fun with her outfit. And Kate rocked it while doing so.
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is an event dedicated to commemorating lives lost in World War I and the royals always make an appearance dressed in black for mourning. In 1993, Princess Diana represented Queen Elizabeth in Ireland while wearing in a modest button-down coat and oversized black hat. She had the traditional poppy flower pinned to the coat to symbolize the remembrance.
Twinning in Black
Kate's outfit at the 2016 Remembrance Day event looked so much like Diana's from all those years ago. It was also a black buttoned coat with three pinned poppies and a large black hat. Remembrance Day is of course not about fashion, but it is interesting to see Kate so closely mirror Diana. Perhaps Kate was sending a little remembrance to her mother-in-law as well.
