--- title: See How Princess Diana and Kate Middleton's Styles Compare description: Kate Middleton's sophisticated fashion choices have drawn plenty of parallels to her mother-in-law, the late Princess Diana. canonical: https://time.com/4920961/princess-diana-kate-middleton-fashion/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-08-30T15:28:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:46:25.233Z og:title: 12 Times Kate Middleton’s Style Reminded Us of Princess Diana og:description: You may be seeing double with these royal fashion icons og:url: https://time.com/4920961/princess-diana-kate-middleton-fashion/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt19656a7a19fcbe44/6988db1697cdff3c626b22ca/4.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Diana-Kate-Fashion og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 12 Times Kate Middleton’s Style Reminded Us of Princess Diana twitter:description: You may be seeing double with these royal fashion icons twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt19656a7a19fcbe44/6988db1697cdff3c626b22ca/4.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 12 Times Kate Middleton's Style Reminded Us of Princess Diana  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Aug 30, 2017 3:28 PM UTC  Diana's bright pink jacket looks like it could have inspired Kate's own fuchsia outerwear choice. Diana's bright pink jacket looks like it could have inspired Kate's own fuchsia outerwear choice.Julian Parker—UK Press/Getty Images; Karwai Tang—WireImage/Getty Images  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Aug 30, 2017 3:28 PM UTC Since [Kate Middleton](http://time.com/4765292/kate-middleton-feeds-lamb/) was introduced to the public as a part of the British royal family, people have repeatedly compared her to her husband’s late mother, [the beloved Princess Diana](http://time.com/4879138/diana-princess-remembered/). Of all the parallels that the Duchess of Cambridge shares with Diana as the presumed future Queen of England, it’s [a sophisticated sense of style](http://time.com/53937/kate-middleton-fashion-photos/) that might be the most tangible, and certainly the most visible. In many ways, it appears that Kate takes inspiration from her late mother-in-law, channeling the humanitarian’s glamorous fashion sense with her own wardrobe. Consider Kate’s choice to wear a dark blue dress to match the sapphire engagement ring (which formerly belonged to Princess Di) in [her official engagement photo](http://people.com/royals/prince-william-and-kate-middleton-engagement-photo/), which mirrored Diana’s dark blue suit for her own engagement announcement. Or the fact that Kate also selected a simple, but chic polka dot sheath to [wear out of the hospita](http://time.com/3844305/royal-baby-kate-william-leave-hospital/)l after giving birth to Prince George — perhaps taking a style cue from Diana who also wore a polka dot shift dress out of the hospital after giving birth to Prince William. While Kate’s taste in silhouettes skews more conservative than Diana’s (keep in mind that the Princess of Wales entered the public eye as a fashion icon at the height of the ’80s,) she shares Di’s innate elegance. See 12 times that Kate and Diana had [similar style statements](http://time.com/53937/kate-middleton-fashion-photos/) above.  Both Kate and Diana opted for deep blue looks for their official engagement photos, a color choice that complemented the sapphire engagement ring they shared. Tim Graham—Getty Images/Chris Jackson—Getty Images  For their weddings, both Diana and Kate opted for full-skirted white gowns that were made by U.K. designers; Diana's by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, Kate's by Alexander McQueen. Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Chris Jackson—Getty Images  Kate took a style cue from Diana's pairing of a striking red coat with a dramatic black hat. Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty Images; Tim Graham—Getty Images  Both Kate and Diana knew that a polka dot print could give a playful touch to an otherwise conservative outfit. Julian Parker—UK Press/Getty Images; Karwai Tang—WireImage/Getty Images  One of Diana's favorite pieces of jewelry from the royal family's collection was the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara, which she wore often. Kate was recently photographed wearing it during a state dinner at Buckingham Palace. Tim Graham—Getty Images; Max Mumby—Indigo/Getty Images  When it came to post-partum fashion to leave the hospital after giving birth, both Diana and Kate opted for comfortable but pretty polka dotted dresses. Jon Hoffman—Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images; Max Mumby—Indigo/Getty Images  Diana wore a glamorous body-conscious black velvet gown to dance with John Travolta during a gala at the White House. For a military gala, Kate selected a similarly elegant style. Tim Graham—Getty Images; Mark Cuthbert—UK Press/Getty Images  Bright red skiwear was a striking choice for both Diana and Kate to hit the slopes. Tim Graham—Getty Images  Diana's bright pink jacket looks like it could have inspired Kate's own fuchsia outerwear choice. Julian Parker—UK Press/Getty Images; Karwai Tang—WireImage/Getty Images  The Princess opted to cover her head on a trip to Pakistan, observing the customs of modesty for women in the country. Kate followed suit by observing religious protocol during a trip to Malaysia. Tim Graham—Getty Images; Chris Jackson—Getty Images  Formal wear got a vibrant update for both Diana and Kate in jewel-toned teal. Jayne Fincher—Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images; Chris Jackson—Getty Images  Crisp white skirt suits with nipped-in waists proved to be royally striking for both Diana and Kate. Jayne Fincher—Getty Images; Samir Hussein—WireImage ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4920961/princess-diana-kate-middleton-fashion/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4920961/princess-diana-kate-middleton-fashion/"},"headline":"12 Times Kate Middleton's Style Reminded Us of Princess Diana","datePublished":"2017-08-30T15:28:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:46:25.233Z","description":"Two royal style icons","url":"https://time.com/4920961/princess-diana-kate-middleton-fashion/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Royal Family","viral","fashion","kate middleton","photography","royals","Princess Diana"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt19656a7a19fcbe44/6988db1697cdff3c626b22ca/4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt19656a7a19fcbe44/6988db1697cdff3c626b22ca/4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Diana-Kate-Fashion","caption":"Princess Diana and Kate Duchess of Cambridge similar moments in fashion pink coat","creditText":"Julian Parker—UK Press/Getty Images; Karwai Tang—WireImage/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4920961/princess-diana-kate-middleton-fashion/","name":"12 Times Kate Middleton's Style Reminded Us of Princess Diana"}}]}] ```