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Princess Charlotte may be only ten, but she’s already beginning to follow in the fashionable footsteps of her mother, the Princess of Wales, and her late grandmother, Princess Diana.
At her mother’s much-anticipated Christmas carol concert on Friday, 5 December, the young royal looked adorable in a deep blue velvet dress as she joined her brothers, Prince George and Prince Louis, in a united appearance to support their mother as her little helpers.
However, there’s one detail you may have overlooked in the young royal’s outfit. As a writer on HELLO!’s Lifestyle desk, I track every royal look — past and present — and I believe Princess Charlotte’s dress offered a subtle yet heartwarming nod to the style of her late grandmother.
For Trooping the Colour in June 1984, Princess Diana wore a beautiful baby-blue dress by Dutch designer Jan Van Velden, paired with a matching John Boyd hat featuring a delicate veil. The standout element of her outfit was the dress’s bold rectangular collar — a fashion-forward detail that contrasted strikingly with the softness of the rest of her ensemble.
Princess Charlotte’s Christmas carol concert dress featured a very similar statement collar, though in a much deeper shade. It’s hard not to draw a connection between the two stylish royals!
Princess Diana’s enduringly iconic style
Certainly, there are few people who could serve as a more inspiring fashion muse for a 10-year-old than her grandmother, the timeless cultural icon Princess Diana. Alongside her humanitarian work and warm, down-to-earth nature, Diana’s impeccable sense of style is one of the key reasons she has remained such a defining cultural figure for more than 40 years.
Before the internet existed, she was one of Britain’s most influential style leaders. Laura Sutcliffe, HELLO!’s Fashion and Beauty News Editor — who has covered royal fashion for eight years — even described her as “the very first fashion influencer.”
Whether she was proving that a sophisticated British royal could effortlessly pair cycling shorts and oversized sweaters with a Gucci bag, showcasing pastel power suits, or stepping out in the iconic “revenge dress,” Princess Diana did it all. Everyone wanted to emulate her — and it seems the next generation of royals is eager to follow in her footsteps.
