12 Times Kate Middleton’s Style Reminded Us of Princess Diana

Since Kate Middleton 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. 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 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, 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 hospital 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 above.