Have Kate Middleton And Sarah Jessica Parker Been Taking Style Notes From Princess Diana?

Both women have paid homage in the last 24 hours.

Sarah Jessica Parker wearing a single-breasted dress coat

by Natalie Hammond |
Updated on

With Spencer poised to hit screens, expect the most famous royal style icon of all time to, once again, be influencing wardrobes around the world. In fact, according to a very reliable source (@andjustlikethatcloset), it's already started. The Instagram account is a living document of all the looks spotted on the set of And Just Like That__. And yesterday, Sarah Jessica Parker stepped out in an outfit that could only have been an homage to Princess Diana.

Sarah Jessica Parker wearing a blue dress on the set of AJLT
Sarah Jessica Parker ©Getty

The look in question was a turquoise dress coat with power lapels and shoulders and, looking at the picture evidence sourced by @andjustlikethatcloset, has echoes of the princess' most iconic tailoring moments.

Kate Middleton at COP26
Kate Middleton at COP26 ©Getty

Another woman has also been taking style notes from Princess Diana. At yesterday's evening reception to mark the opening of COP26, Kate Middleton arrived looking resplendent in a royal blue dress from Eponine. Not only was the shade near-exact match for a skirt suit worn by Princess Diana, but it reminded us of another outfit worn not so long ago by the Duchess.

Princess Diana on @andjustlikethatcloset
©@andjustlikethatcloset

On another visit to Scotland, Middleton wore an outfit that was the spitting image of said skirt suit, right down to the double-breasted gold buttons and pleated skirt (although her shoes were caramel instead of the same blue hue).

Princess Diana wearing a royal blue skirt suit
Princess Diana in 1992 ©Getty

Spencer is set over three days in the early '90s, a time of immense personal upheaval for the princess which happened to include some of her most enduring style moments (the above airport shot was taken in 1992).

Kate Middleton wearing a royal blue skirt suit in May
Kate Middleton in Scotland ©Getty

Keep scrolling to see evidence of the fact that she is, and perhaps always will be, the ultimate influencer.

Gallery

SEE: Every Time Kate Middleton Dressed Like Princess Diana

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

There's only one way to dress for a Bond premiere: full-throttle glamour.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

When Kate joined Prince William on a royal tour of Scotland, her blue ensemble – a Zara blazer with a Hope skirt and tan heels – was the spitting image of an outfit Princess Diana wore in 1992.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Also in Scotland, Kate wore her Seeland Woodcock Advanced Jacket, a sensible choice for the weather, which shows similarities to the Barbour waxed jacket Princess Diana wore in 1984 ((also in Scotland).

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Kate Middleton is known for her love of literal dressing. Here, she's wearing a Strathearn tartan scarf in Scotland (she and her husband are the Earl and Countess of Strathearn), and it looks like Diana had a similar penchant for the print (pictured wearing a checkered wool coat in Wales).

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

For a visit to County Durham, Kate wore a printed jumper from Brora, which was very similar to the one famously worn by Princess Diana to a photocall before her wedding.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

On an appearance at London's V&A Museum, Kate chose a chic red houndstooth dress from Alessandra Rich. The length and cut was very similar to a tartan dress worn by Princess Diana on a visit to Swindon.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

To celebrate the release of her book, Kate wore a red wool coat dress from Eponine. Princess Diana wasn't afraid of a bold colour either, shown here in a scarlet skirt suit.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Both Diana and Kate have worn double-breasted black coats embellished with gold buttons.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

At the official engagement announcement of Kate and Prince William, the Duchess mirrored Princess Diana in her own iconic engagement photograph. Kate's dress was chosen in order to match her sapphire ring, which of course once belonged to Diana.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Kate's dress from Instagram-favourite Faithfull The Brand is very similar to the retro flower-printed dress worn by Diana in Seville.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Kate's wardrobe on the 2019 Royal Tour to Pakistanincluded many tributes to Princess Diana, including this ombré blue dress designed by Catherine Walker, an outfit that was incredibly similar to what Princess Diana wore while visiting the Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore in 1996.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Kate's Dubarry Bracken tweed jacket from a visit to King Henry's Walk Garden in January 2019 looked almost exactly the same to the one worn by Princess Diana on her honeymoon.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Another one from the tour to Pakistan, Kate's green tunic mirrors this green coat-dress, both by Catherine Walker, worn by Princess Diana while on a visit to the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore in 1991.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Kate's black strapless gown at A Night For Heroes in December 2011 drew many comparisons to Diana's black gown from her first public event with Prince Charles, at London's Goldsmith's Hall in 1981.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Kate's white shalwar kameez designed by Gul Ahmed and shawl designed by Maheen Khan are very similar to a beaded shalwar kameez worn by Princess Diana while attending a dinner at London's Dorchester Hotel in aid of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital in Pakistan.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

What's a royal Christmas without some red tartan?

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

While visiting Chitral in the Hindu Kush region, near the Afghan border, Kate and Diana were both presented with traditional Chitrali hats.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Stepping outside the Lindo Wing after the birth of Prince George, Kate donned a polka dot blue Jenny Packham dress which was very similar to the green spotty number worn by Princess Diana after the birth of Prince William.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

While dancing with Prince Charles in Melbourne in October 1985, Princess Diana wore a very similar dress to one that her future daughter-in-law would wear at the Royal Albert Hall in May 2012.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Kate and Diana have both worn sharp grey blazers with a fancy collar (black velvet, in this case).

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Kate's pink, flowing midi dress to watch the polo with her children, and sister-in-law, Meghan Markle, mirrors Diana's dress from a visit to Sydney.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Bring the bling! Kate's Jenny Packham gown from the Palladium Theatre in November 2017 looks just like Diana's Catherine Walker gown from Qatar in November 1986.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Kate's choice of outfit for the christening of Princess Charlotte in 2015 mirrored Princess Diana's Catherine Walker coat-dress from a visit to the Isle of Wight in 1985.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Both royal women look amazing in red houndstooth: Princess Diana in a Moschino suit in Canada in 1991 and Kate in a red Catherine Walker coat dress in Sweden in January 2018.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Again outside the Lindo Wing, this time after the birth of her youngest, Prince Louis, Kate mirrored Princess Diana after the birth of her youngest, Prince Harry.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Kate must've taken inspiration from Princess Diana at a photo call in Kensington Palace in 1985 when she visited the 'D-Day: Interception, Intelligence, Invasion' exhibition at Bletchley Park in 2019.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Kate's white-and-gold dress from an official dinner hosted by Malaysia's Head of State in Kuala Lumpur mirrors Diana's dress from a dinner at the German Embassy in London in 1986.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Kate's blue draped gown for the premiere of Spectre in 2015 was very similar to a dress worn by Princess Diana when pregnant with Prince Harry.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Kate's royal blue look from the trip to Pakistan is a very similar colour to this embroidered top worn by Princess Diana in 1997 while touring Imran Khan's charity cancer hospital.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Kate's outfit at the Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Military Academy in Berkshire was almost identical to the one Diana wore at Sandringham on Christmas Day in 1993.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Kate's white peplum outfit looks very similar to Diana's dress from Royal Ascot in June 1986.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Proving that polka dots are a timeless choice of print, both Diana and Kate have opted for a green version of the classic pattern.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

The day before her wedding, Kate wore a polka dress with a white shawl similar to an outfit worn by Princess Diana in Wales in 1993.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Never ones to shy away from bold colours, both Kate and Diana have rocked hot pink coat-dresses.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Kate Middleton wore an Alexander McQueen dress-coat at the Irish Guards Medal Parade in 2011; Princess Diana wore a very similar royal blue blazer with gold buttons while visiting Oxford in 1990.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

The black-and-white polka dot number worn by Kate to Wimbledon is very similar to the dress and matching hat Diana donned for Royal Ascot in 1988.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

While greeting crowds in New Zealand, the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Diana both wore teal dresses with matching hats.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Further evidence that royals love their tartan.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Pretty in pink! Kate at Trooping the Colour in 2017 and Diana in a polka-dotted dress in Perth in 1983.

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Kate Middleton Princess Diana

Both Kate and Diana look amazing in these matching red-and-white polka dot summer dresses.

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