Queen of the Re-Wear Princess Anne Pairs an Upcycled Coat From 1969 With Queen Mary's Historic Choker

Princess Anne wearing an ivory coat and tiara; Princess Anne wearing the same coat shaking a girl's hand in 1969 — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Princess Kate might love to upcycle her old gowns—a trick from Princess Diana's playbook—but no one does archival fashion like Princess Anne. The 75-year-old royal looked elegant in an ivory dress coat as she arrived at Windsor Castle for the Nigerian state banquet on Wednesday, March 18, and her outfit dates all the way back to the 1960s.

The Princess Royal has a penchant for wearing decades-old coats and dresses, and her appearance at Wednesday night's banquet was no different. As pointed out by my good friend and royal Instagrammer Lauren Parkinson, Anne was wearing a long coat with cutout detail on the sleeves that she wore in 1969. The coat originally had an embellished collar to match the sleeves, but the Princess Royal has since had it altered into a plain, pointed style.

She originally wore the cream-colored coat open, paired with a long gown featuring the same detail as the sleeves underneath—although it's unclear if the Princess Royal wore the dress under her buttoned-up coat this time.

Article continues below

Princess Kate and Prince William walking into a state banquet with Princess Anne and Sir Tim Laurence — Princess Anne wears an ivory coat as she greets the Princess and Princess of Wales at the Nigerian state banquet.

Princess Anne wearing a white coat and tiara — Princess Anne styles Queen Mary's choker with her altered coat.

Princess Anne wearing a long white coat and dress walking through a doorway — The Princess Royal wears the same coat with a matching dress in 1969.

While she wore her hair piled up in a curled style in the '60s, she topped her typical twisted style with the Meander Tiara on Wednesday night. The diadem features diamonds in a Greek key design and was given to Queen Elizabeth by her mother-in-law, Princess Alice.

The petite tiara holds an especially sentimental meaning for Princess Anne's family, as her only daughter, Zara Tindall, wore it for her 2011 wedding to Mike Tindall in Edinburgh.

Princess Anne finished off her look with Queen Mary's City of London choker, a thick pearl and diamond design that was gifted to Anne's great-grandmother, Queen Mary, by the City of London in 1893. It was inherited by Queen Elizabeth, who never wore the dazzling piece, and it remained out of public view until Princess Anne wore it in the early 2000s.

Princess Anne walking with Sir Tim Laurence at the Nigerian state banquet — The Princess Royal wears the Meander Tiara as she arrives with husband Sir Tim Laurence.

Princess Anne wearing a white coat shaking hands with a girl in 1969 — Anne is pictured at a film premiere in 1969.

As for the rest of the Royal Family, Princess Kate debuted a green Andrew Gn gown in the color of Nigeria's flag, pairing it with Princess Diana's favorite tiara, Queen Mary's Lover's Knot. And Queen Camilla dazzled in the Belgian Sapphire Tiara and an embroidered ivory gown by one of her favorite designers, Fiona Clare.

TOPICS

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.