Is Princess Charlotte’s Trooping the Colour Dress the Same Dress She Wore to the Coronation?

Princess Charlotte at Trooping the Colour

(Image credit: Getty)

published 18 June 2023

While the Princess of Wales’ Trooping the Colour look had significant meaning behind it, we also loved Princess Charlotte’s dress—a red and white sailor-inspired look. But it did look a bit familiar—or was that just us?

No, says children’s wear designer Amaia Arrieta. Speaking to People, the designer says “The way the skirt moves is exactly the same, but it looks like the sleeves were changed and the collar and belt added. It fitted her perfectly and it was just weeks ago, so it makes sense.”

Princess Charlotte in a red and white sailor inspired dress at Trooping the Colour

Charlotte wore the original version of the white dress—featuring embroidered sleeves and a matching cape—at King Charles’ Coronation on May 6. The dress was designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen—who many will remember as Kate’s wedding dress designer—and marked the first time Charlotte had worn a bespoke designer dress from the fashion house her mom gravitates towards.

Princess Charlotte in a white Alexander McQueen dress for the Coronation

Of the Trooping the Colour upcycle, “I think it was very patriotic, and it suited her beautifully,” says Arrieta, who has dressed Charlotte and her brothers Prince George and Prince Louis for almost a decade. Louis wore the designer’s long navy socks just yesterday. (“He looked great in his shorts and blazer—so elegant and classy,” she says.)

Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte with Duchess Sophie on the Buckingham Palace balcony

If the look is an upcycle, that would definitely mirror mom Kate, something Charlotte is known to do. Kate has reworn or upcycled looks many times: Case in point, for the 2020 BAFTAs, Kate wore an Alexander McQueen cream dress with gold embroidery she had previously worn in Malaysia back in 2012. Kate upcycled another McQueen gown in 2019 to attend a gala at the National Portrait Gallery, altering the sleeves of the dress from off-the-shoulder to cap sleeves.

Prince William and Kate Middleton at the 2020 BAFTAs

Yesterday’s Trooping the Colour—the King’s first as monarch—saw George, Charlotte, and Louis coordinate in navy, white, and red, the colors of the Union Jack. “The three of them seem so close, they seemed very natural,” Arrieta says. “They have been at so many formal occasions lately. Even Louis being so young looked like he was enjoying it.”

And for Charlotte in particular? “She is amazing,” Arrieta says. “She has so much grace and is so elegant—she is a star!”

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.