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19 Times Kate Middleton and Princess Diana Basically Wore the Same Outfit

These ladies rocked some classic styles.

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Back in black

On Remembrance Day (the United Kingdom’s version of Memorial Day) we swear we saw double. Kate’s 2016 outfit, with a black peacoat and hat, and a traditional red poppy accessory, looked eerily similar to Diana’s 1993 choice. Find more Princess Diana fashion tips you can steal for yourself.

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Thinking pink

We swear Kate wore the same coat to visit the Stephen Lawrence Center in 2015 that Diana wore to the Abbeyfield Society annual general meeting in 1990. These are the dress code rules everyone in the royal family must follow.

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Baby love

When Prince William was christened in 1982, Princess Diana stood next to Prince Charles in a flowy dress. In Kate Middleton’s first public appearance after giving birth to Prince George, she wore a similar cut dress. Check out the times Meghan Markle and Princess Diana basically wore the same outfit.

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White and gold

Glittery gold on crisp white—could anything be more royal? Diana wore hers to a banquet with the German Ambassador in 1986, and Kate wore hers at a 2012 dinner in Malaysia during the Diamond Jubilee Tour. Learn more fascinating facts about Princess Diana.

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Grace and lace

Both these ladies love lace. Princess Diana went with an LBD, while Kate Middleton went for a longer green option—but both had lace sleeves to make their outfits stand out.

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Summer whites

A crisp white looks good on a 1985 royal tour of Australia—or the 2015 christening of Prince William and Kate’s daughter, Princess Charlotte. This is the one outfit the royal family always packs, no matter where they go.

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Snow bunnies

Not only did Diana and Kate both love skiing, but they also like to stand out against the white snowy slopes in a bright red coat. This is the real reason Queen Elizabeth wears neon outfits all the time.

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Keeping covered

In Pakistan in 1996 and in Malaysia in 2012, Diana and Kate, respectively, paired an elegant white headscarf with a white buttoned dress.

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Mad for plaid

Both on visits to Scotland—but 32 years apart—Diana and Kate chose to wear a plaid coat with a subtle peplum detail. Don’t miss these rare photos of Princess Diana.

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Opposites attract

At the 1990 International Congress for the British Family and the Warner Bros. studio launch in 2013, the Princess and the Duchess of Cambridge looked like yin and yang. Both wore black and white polka dots with a coordinating jacket—they just flipped which color went where.

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Easy being green

For the 1990 Italian State visit to London, or a 2012 honoring of Irish guards, the uniform is the same: green dress coat with a pillbox hat.

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Power move

Whether at a charity appeal for the London Lighthouse in 1996, or campaigning for the 2017 Children’s Mental Health week, these women knew the meaning of a “power suit.” Both look absolutely fierce in matching red skirt-jacket combos. Learn style tricks to make you stand out at work, too.

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Tickled pink

A pink dress and matching hat are tough to pull off, but these royal women both looked stunning in their bright outfits. Diana wore hers to a garden party in Buckingham Palace in 1983, and Kate wore hers to a Trooping of the Colour ceremony in 2017.

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Hats on

There’s nothing like a big white hat to make you look absolutely polished while keeping out of the sun, as proven by Diana at the Royal Ascot in 1987 and again by Kate at the Queen’s 90th birthday parade. Learn the best hat for your face shape.

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Feeling blue

Both women have a thing for blue suits, right down to the hat. Diana wore hers for the 1989 Christmas service, while Kate’s was for the 2017 unveiling of an Iraq and Afghanistan war memorial.

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Sailing in

When Princess Diana accepted a charity donation from All Nippon Airways and Takashimaya department store in 1989 and when Kate visited the Land Rover BAR headquarters in 2016, both wore nautical-inspired outfits.

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Walking on sunshine

On her 1983 British Royal Tour of Australia, Princess Diana wore a sunny yellow dress. Kate Middleton looked just as cheery in 2011 for her own Royal Tour in Canada.

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Red dress, fearless

In Argentina in 1995, Diana looked stunning in a red off-shoulder halter dress with red heels. The Duchess of Cambridge looked just as striking in a red dress with an asymmetrical neckline and red heels at a visit to Canada in 2016.

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Bright for baby

In 1984, Diana stepped out after giving birth to Prince Harry in a red outfit with a white peter pan collar. After giving birth to her second son on April 23, 2018, Kate paid tribute to Princess Di by wearing a very similar outfit. They both look very happy presenting their new children to the world for the first time.

Marissa Laliberte
Marissa Laliberte-Simonian is a London-based associate editor with the global promotions team at WebMD’s Medscape.com and was previously a staff writer for Reader's Digest. Her work has also appeared in Business Insider, Parents magazine, CreakyJoints, and the Baltimore Sun. You can find her on Instagram @marissasimonian.