Kate Middleton Gives This Iconic '80s Princess Diana Look A Chic Update At Trooping The Colour 2026

Kate Middleton has certainly come a long way since her fashion choices in the 2010s, like the dreadful picnic-plate hat she wore to Trooping the Colour in 2015. In fact, the piece was such an eyesore that it lives on as one of the worst-dressed Trooping the Colour moments of all time. Over a decade later, the Princess of Wales has shown how her style has evolved, as she stunned with a fitting tribute at Trooping the Colour 2026 in London, England, on Saturday, June 13.

Princess Diana Archive & Chris Jackson/Getty

The royal opted for a baby-blue design by Catherine Walker that not only looked timeless and sophisticated, but was likely a nod to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. Back in 1987, Diana was spotted twice in a very similar light-blue coat dress, which was also by Catherine Walker. She wore it to the royal family's Easter celebration, and she was also photographed in the same coat dress that July at an airport in England. Almost four decades later, Kate paid homage to this look with the prestigious brand's Lafayette dress for the official birthday celebration of the British sovereign, which involves an iconic military parade and Buckingham Palace balcony appearance from senior members of the royal family. 

Both Kate's and Diana's dresses featured lapels with a white rim (Kate's lapels were rimmed all the way, while Diana only had white around the top portion), but each royal made the look her own with the accessories. The late princess paired hers with pearl earrings and a matching choker necklace during her airport visit, the latter of which was a staple in the '80s. Meanwhile, Kate donned her blue dress with a matching blue wide-brimmed Philip Treacy hat, pearl floral earrings by Cassandra Goad, and another accessory that Diana wasn't able to wear: the Irish Guards Regimental brooch, a reference to Kate's appointment as Colonel of the Irish Guards.

While she certainly stood out on the Buckingham Palace balcony in her Princess Diana-coded blue 'fit in 2026, it wasn't the first time Kate Middleton drew inspiration from her late mother-in-law. In 2025, Kate seemingly also paid tribute to Princess Diana with her Trooping the Colour outfit, which was a more vibrant shade of blue. For the king's official birthday celebration, Kate rocked a bright aquamarine dress coat, yet another design by Catherine Walker, which also featured white details around the collar and lapels. Paired with a wide-brimmed hat from Juliette Botterill, the ensemble created a brighter color palette that looked gorgeous on the royal.

While it wasn't an exact replica of an outfit Princess Diana wore during her visit to Cairo, Egypt, in May 1992, the color combination was likely to be a nod to the late princess' fun fashion choices. Just like Diana, Kate paired her outfit with pearl drop earrings and raspberry-pink lips. Over the years, Kate Middleton has given us plenty of amazing (and some not-so-amazing) Trooping the Colour outfits, but it certainly seems that every time she looks at Diana's fashion for inspiration, her outfit ends up looking fabulous. And she's not the only one. Check out Meghan Markle's most iconic Princess Diana-inspired looks!