Royal fans delighted in seeing the Princess of Wales at her first public engagement since she stepped back from public life earlier this year.
While Princess Kate, 42, continues to undergo chemotherapy for cancer she remains largely absent from public life. But in an Instagram post on Friday, the royal revealed that while she is “not out of the woods”, she would be making an appearance at the King’s birthday parade on Saturday, otherwise known as Trooping the Colour.
© Matt PorteousThe royal paid tribute to her military role as colonel of the Irish Guards Regiment and she stepped out in a chic tailored look that felt uncannily familiar to fans of Princess Diana‘s 1980s fashion.
© GettyFor her first public outing since Christmas Day, the Princess opted for a bespoke black and white Jenny Packham dress. The pencil-cut dress featured a black waistband, black piping around the neck, and an oversized bow detail on the neck.
© Chris JacksonThe structured dress was paired with the ‘Romy 85 Optic White Leather Pumps’ from Jimmy Choo with a razor-sharp stiletto heel and the understated ‘Bayswater Black Suede Clutch’ from Mulberry.
© GettyThe star of the show was her majestic Philip Treacy hat which was a saucer shape and featured black detailing that rose vertically out the top.
Completing the look, which the Princess donned for a carriage ride with her three children and later on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, was the Irish Guards regimental brooch and the ‘Cavolfiore Pearl Stud Earrings’ from Cassandra Goad which retail for over £4,000.
© GettyKate’s Diana-coded look
Kate’s Trooping look was an important sartorial decision and highly anticipated. It seems for this momentous occasion she sought inspiration from one of the royal family’s most iconic dressers – the late Princess Diana.
© GettyPrince William’s mother was seen in 1985 when she visited the National Gallery of Art in November 1985 in Washington DC wearing a nearly identical look.
© GettyThe royal was seen alongside her then-husband Prince Charles wearing a structured black and white skirt suit designed by Catherine Walker which was reminiscent of Kate’s look from last weekend.
© GettyThough Kate’s Jenny Packham gown featured a round neckline, Diana went for a classic 80s silhouette with padded shoulders and double-breasted buttons.
© GettyLike her son’s wife, the late royal opted for chic heels, but the most uncannily similar part of their looks was the headwear. Diana wore an almost identical hat to Kate’s black and white number which was designed by Frederick Fox.
© GettyIt seems that the royal mother-of-three may have taken style notes from her late mother-in-law in other elements of her Trooping ensemble. Princess Diana often favoured oversized bow adornments in her outfits.
© GettyDISCOVER: Why Princess Kate and Meghan Markle didn’t wear Princess Diana’s wedding tiara
She adored a pussy bow blouse but was also seen wearing looks where a large bow had been attached to a round neckline, much like Kate’s. A shining example is the striped burgundy ensemble she wore during a visit to the World War II cemetery in Anzio, Italy in April 1985.
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