Kate Middleton often pays ‘subtle tribute’ to Princess Diana in her outfits but doesn’t ‘set out to be compared’ to her late mother-in-law, experts tell PALACE CONFIDENTIAL
A royal designer has praised the Princess of Wales’s “subtle tribute” to her late mother-in-law.
On this week’s episode of Palace Confidential, Amanda Wakeley, known for her work with both Princess Diana and Kate Middleton, talked about how Kate gives stylistic nods to Prince William’s late mother.
“The suit she wore to Trooping the Color this summer could honestly have come from Diana’s wardrobe,” she told host Jo Elvin.
The Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English added that she does not believe Kate, 41, is deliberately modeling her appearance on Diana.
“I don’t think they want to be compared to each other when those comparisons are made… it’s very flattering,” she explained.
Speaking at Palace Confidential, Amanda Wakeley (pictured) – who is known for her work with both Princess Diana and Kate Middleton herself – was full of compliments for Prince William’s wife’s stylistic nods to the fashion icon.
“She obviously wears a lot of her jewelry, so there’s always a tribute to her in that way, but I think she wears it… she wears it lightly.
“She doesn’t make a big deal about it.”
“She wears it like it’s her own,” Amanda agreed. ‘It’s not a pastiche of how Diana would have worn it. It’s very much that she owns her appearance, which is a beautiful appearance.’
One of the couple’s most recent comparisons took place this summer, when Kate channeled Diana as she arrived at St George’s Chapel for the Garter Day service in June.
For the occasion, she opted for a chic black and white spotted midi dress by Alessandra Rich – reminiscent of a dress her late mother-in-law wore to Royal Ascot in 1988.
Kate’s sophisticated high-neckline dress featured voluminous sleeves with dainty button detailing.
It also had ruffles around the center, which are almost identical to Diana’s Victor Edelstien.
Taking style notes from Diana, Kate – who had also worn a strikingly similar dress to Royal Ascot the year before – even incorporated the print from her dress into her hat.
One of the couple’s most recent comparisons took place this summer, when Kate channeled Diana as she arrived at St George’s Chapel for the Garter Day service in June.
Kate took style notes from Diana (right) – who had also worn a strikingly similar dress to Royal Ascot the year before (left) – even incorporating the print from her dress into her hat
Amanda says the ‘suit’ Kate wore to Trooping the Color this summer ‘could really have come from Diana’s wardrobe’
Rebecca also discussed the Princess of Wales’s style evolution, which she said reached a stunning peak earlier this year.
“For me, there was a real – on a fashion level – stop-in-your-track moment at the coronation, when she entered Westminster Abbey,” she told the show.
‘She looked like a queen waiting for me. It was so elegant, so polished, so regal that I thought, ‘she’s got it.’
As for the Duchess of Sussex’s fashion sense, both also noted Meghan Markle’s more confident style since moving to California, as Rebecca said: ‘The sexiness is creeping back’ into her appearance.
Amanda says Kate’s nod to Diana’s fashion doesn’t just come in the form of jewelry, but also in the cut and fashion she chooses
Kate’s look for the 2023 St. Patrick’s Day parade at Mons Barracks was strikingly similar in color and detail
Diana, pictured in 1996, wearing an outfit designed by Wakeley as she strutted around the streets of London
Kate, Princess of Wales, wore an outfit designed by Wakeley during a visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton in 2011
“I don’t see that in a negative way,” she added. ‘We all dress appropriately for our work and our situation’.
Amanda also reflected fondly on having Diana – who was “just one of the girls” and “very quiet” – as one of her clients.
“I was very lucky, it was still early in my career and I remember thinking, ‘Gosh, the Princess of Wales is coming’,” she said.
‘I remember before her appointment I thought, ‘Gosh, there’s going to be dogs sniffing around here and security and all the rest,’ and the doorbell rings and it’s Diana on the sidewalk by herself, feeling calm yet nice made. We really laughed.
“She was informal, a bit sassy, a bit gossipy, wanted the latest fashion gossip and she was just one of the girls.”
Amanda added that the late princess was also “incredibly encouraging” to her as a fairly new designer.
Femail verdict
By Alice Hare Junior Fashion Editor
Royal fashion enthusiasts know that Princess Diana made a purposeful change to her wardrobe in the 1990s.
She stopped playing the role of the perfect ingenious woman and found a new maturity and self-confidence. Gone were the early days, following her husband around as he cut ribbons and gave speeches. Diana meant business – and her wardrobe full of suits reflected this.
Perhaps there’s a similar impetus behind Kate’s recent turn to tailoring. This week, visiting a charity in Berkshire that sends parcels to Ukraine, she opted for beautifully cut gray wool trousers, £130 from French brand Sezane, a crisp white shirt and £120 gray knitted tank top from Samantha Cameron’s label Cefinn.
She completed the look with block heel shoes from JCrew and £68 earrings from British brand Shyla London. It’s an outfit that wouldn’t look out of place in the boardroom.
On Tuesday, she stepped out in Cardiff in a navy blue pinstripe suit, the same suit she wore a few days earlier, to meet Apple CEO Tim Cook. In September, she looked impossibly chic in a Roland Mouret camel suit as she visited a youth intervention charity.
Princess Kate smiled and waved as she left the community center with her bouquet of flowers themed around Ukrainian colors
The next day a suit was again her choice to visit Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton. Days later she wore a green Burberry trouser suit to visit textile factories in Yorkshire.
Gone are the flowy midi dresses of yesteryear. For Kate, September was a positive tribute to impeccable tailoring.
Twelve years after her wedding, Kate no longer feels the need to ‘perform’ a princess in sheath dresses and twinsets. She is a fully embedded royal, trusted as the face of their most important assignments.
Who said a princess belongs in glass slippers and fussy dresses? Definitely not this one.