A royal designer has praised the Princess of Wales’s ‘subtle tributes’ to her late mother-in-law.
Speaking on this week’s episode of Palace Confidential, Amanda Wakeley, known for her work with both Princess Diana and Kate Middleton, gushed over how Kate gives stylistic nods to Prince William’s late mother.
‘The suit that she wore to the Trooping the Colour this summer, honestly that could have been out of Diana’s wardrobe,’ she told host Jo Elvin.
The Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English added that she doesn’t believe Kate, 41, intentionally models her look after Diana’s.
‘I don’t think they set out to be compared if those comparisons are made… it’s very flattering,’ she explained.
Speaking on Palace Confidential, Amanda Wakeley (pictured) – who’s known for her work with both Princess Diana and Kate Middleton herself – was full of compliments for Prince William’s wife stylistic nods to the fashion icon
‘She obviously wears a lot of her jewellery so there’s always a tribute to her there in that way but I think she wears it… she wears it lightly.
‘She doesn’t make a big point of it.’
‘She wears it as hers,’ Amanda agreed. ‘It’s not a pastiche of how Diana would’ve worn it. It’s very much she’s owning her look, which is a wonderful look.’
One of the most recent comparisons of the pair came this summer, when Kate channelled Diana as she arrived at St George’s Chapel for the Garter Day service in June.
She opted for a chic black-and-white spotty midi dress by Alessandra Rich for the occasion – which was reminiscent of a dress her late mother-in-law wore to Royal Ascot in 1988.
Kate’s sophisticated high-necked gown featured voluminous sleeves with dainty button detailing.
It also featured ruched detailing around the middle which is almost identical to Diana’s Victor Edelstien.
Taking style notes from Diana, Kate – who had also worn a strikingly similar gown at the Royal Ascot the year prior – even worked the print of her dress into her hat.
One of the most recent comparisons of the pair came this summer, when Kate channelled Diana as she arrived at St George’s Chapel for the Garter Day service in June
Taking style notes from Diana (right), Kate – who had also worn a strikingly similar gown at the Royal Ascot the year prior (left) – even worked the print of her dress into her hat
Amanda says the ‘suit’ Kate wore to the Trooping the Colour this summer ‘honestly could have been out of Diana’s wardrobe’
Rebecca also discussed the Princess of Wales’s style evolution, which she believes reached a stunning high earlier this year.
‘For me, there was a real – on a fashion level – stop in your tracks moment at the Coronation, when she got into Westminster Abbey,’ she told the show.
‘She just looked like a Queen in waiting to me. It was so elegant, so polished, so regal I thought “she’s got it”.’
Touching on 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 looks.
Amanda says that Kate’s nods to Diana’s fashion come in the form of not just jewellery but also the cuts and fashion she opts for
Kate’s look for the 2023 St Patrick’s Day Parade at Mons Barracks was strikingly similar in colour and detail
Diana, pictured in 1996, wearing a Wakeley-designed outfit, as she stepped out on the streets of London
Kate, the Princess of Wales, wearing a Wakeley-designed outfit in 2011 on a visit to The Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton
‘I don’t see that in a negative way,’ she added. ‘We all dress appropriate to our jobs and situation’.
Amanda also fondly reflected on having Diana – who was ‘just one of the girls’ and ‘very lowkey’ – as one of her clients.
‘I was very lucky, it was early days in my career and I remember thinking “gosh I’ve got the Princess of Wales coming”,’ she said.
‘I remember thinking before her appointment, “gosh there’s gonna sniffer dogs in here and security and all the rest of it” and the doorbell goes and it’s Diana on the doorstep on her own, she’d driven herself lowkey and yet fun. We had a real laugh.
‘She was informal, a little bit cheeky, a little bit gossipy, wanted the latest sort of 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.
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