Princess Kate Uses Princess Diana's Creative Fashion Trick

Princess Diana wearing a lavender gown; Princess Kate wearing a white gown with black gloves

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Princess Diana's style is still inspiring women around the world nearly three decades after her death, and that includes the daughter-in-law she never met. While Princess Kate has worn some similar outfits as Diana over the years, she's also adopted one of the late royal's most clever fashion tips to make old outfits look new again.

Rather than buying new evening gowns or coats, the Princess of Wales has altered a number of her pieces over the years—a trick Princess Diana frequently used with her royal wardrobe. Speaking to Marie Claire, royal-favorite accessory designer Tyler Ellis says the move is "rooted in practicality, but elevated by creativity and confidence."

"What makes this strategy so effective is its subtlety," Ellis says. "These alterations are rarely dramatic at first glance, yet they fundamentally change how a gown is read."

Princess Kate's appearance at the 2023 BAFTAs demonstrates this philosophy perfectly. Instead of walking the red carpet in a new design, she chose the same one-shouldered white Alexander McQueen gown she wore for the 2019 awards ceremony, removing the original floral embellishments at the shoulder in favor of a knotted, scarf-like detail.

Princess Kate walking with Prince William on the red carpet and wearing a white gown at the 2023 BAFTAs; Princess Kate wearing the same gown with Prince William in 2019 — Princess Kate made some subtle shoulder adjustments to this one-shouldered gown, worn to both the 2019 (right) and 2023 (left) BAFTAs.

Princess Diana walking with Pink Charles in a pink puffy gown; Princess Diana wearing an altered version of the gown shaking hands with a man in a tuxedo — Princess Diana first wore this frothy pink gown to Melbourne, Australia in 1983 (left), later having the ruffled detail removed and adding a higher neckline for a 1986 appearance (right).

The dress Princess Kate wore to the 2017 BAFTAs got the same treatment, with her black floral McQueen gown changed from an off-the-shoulder style to a modest cap-sleeved design for the 2019 National Portrait Gallery Portrait Gala.

Several of Kate's coats have also been altered over the years, like the long beige Katherine Hooker jacket she wore for a 2006 day at the Cheltenham races. In 2011, the then-royal fiancée had the coat shortened to an above-the-knee length for one of her first official royal events before her wedding to Prince William.

Ellis calls Kate's upcycling "a sophisticated way of extending the life of a garment while allowing it to evolve alongside her own style." She adds, "By refining silhouettes, modernizing detailing, or rebalancing structure, Princess Kate ensures that each reappearance feels intentional rather than repetitive."

Princess Diana frequently had her outfits altered to give them new life, like the poofy pink ballgown she first wore for a 1983 appearance in Australia. Three years later, the Catherine Walker for Chelsea Design Company dress reappeared on the red carpet, but with the addition of long sleeves, a drop waist and no ruffles.

Princess Kate wearing a black floral gown shaking a man's hand: Kate wearing the same dress walking 2017 BAFTAs red carpet with Prince William — Princess Kate first wore her black Alexander McQueen gown at the 2017 BAFTAs (right) and later altered it for the 2019 National Portrait Gallery Portrait Gala (left).

Princess Diana wearing a lilac gown with a floral top; Princess Diana wearing a modified version of the gown stepping out of a car — Princess Diana wore this Catherine Walker gown for a 1989 visit to the United Arab Emirates (right) and had the bottom altered for a 1992 tour of South Korea (left).

A lilac Catherine Walker dress also got a sleek upgrade when the late royal wore the dress again on her 1992 South Korea tour with Prince Charles. The original design, first worn in 1989, was made with the modest culture of the Middle East in mind and featured a voluminous satin skirt. Three years later, Diana had the princess-like skirt and gathered waist changed to a slim silhouette, keeping the floral brocade top in place.

In The Lady Di Look Book, Eloise Moran writes that Princess Diana "was an early advocate for repurposing her clothes." As Anna Harvey told Vogue in 1997, the late royal's "turnover of clothes was phenomenal and she was criticised for being extravagant, so she recycled."

Ellis tells Marie Claire that there's "a quiet authority in this approach" to fashion.

"It signals discernment, an understanding that elegance doesn’t require constant novelty, but rather thoughtful refinement," she says. "Like Diana before her, Princess Kate demonstrates that the most powerful fashion statements often come from restraint and reinvention, not excess."

The Lady Di Look Book: What Diana Was Trying to Tell Us Through Her Clothes

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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.