‘Hats give me confidence,’ Princess Diana once remarked.
And she wore them with confidence, too, becoming the champion of exuberant headpieces.
She consistently employed millinery in a way that set her apart from other royals.
Diana’s early years in the spotlight favoured birdcage veils at formal engagements, together with hats in zingy shades or fascinators topped with a dramatic flourish.
Later in life, she developed a taste for streamlined designs, wide brims and ‘60s-inspired pillbox shapes.
Kate is no slouch when it comes to hats, either. Elegant headwear is something of a talent, in fact, and she has certainly got it.
In fact the similarities in the approach of the two women has become more marked since Catherine became Princess of Wales, with many of Diana’s original looks echoed by her daughter-in-law – breathing new life into them and adding a modern twist.
Head to Toe Burgundy
Stepping out in St Austell, Cornwall in 1981 Diana wore a burgundy velvet suit by Jaeger and a pussy bow blouse, worn with a matching hat adorned with an ostrich plume designed by John Boyd.
Princess Diana wears a wine-coloured hat to match her velvet suit by Jaeger and a John Boyd hat in November 1983
Catherine, Princess of Wales visits St David’s cathedral in a similarly wine-coloured hat and matching coat at St David’s Cathedral on Friday
Kate mirrored her look at St David’s Cathedral when marking the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death, wearing a matching hued Eponine coat in her usual signature style topped with a Sahar Millinery bow detail fascinator which featured the same sloping curves as Diana. She completed the chic look with a pair of the late Queen’s silver jubilee earrings.
Bold Blues
Diana paired this cerulean blue John Boyd pillbox hat and blue heart earrings with a floral dress in Sydney, 1988.
Princess Diana attended a church service in Sydney wearing this cerulean blue John Boyd pillbox hat in 1988
Catherine, Princess of Wales chose the same vibrant shade and silk fabric as Diana when she attended Scotland’s National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication in 2023
We saw the look repeated earlier this year when Kate chose the same vibrant shade and the same silk fabric for Scotland’s National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication, which marked the Scottish Coronation of the monarch.
She put her own twist on the style of hat adding an elaborate feather to her Philip Treacy Hat, matching her Catherine Walker coat. The Princess of Wales also wore pearl drop earrings and a pearl bracelet that once belonged to Diana.
Ladies in Red
Diana made a striking appearance at wedding of Nicholas Soames in 1981, a few months before her own wedding to Charles.
She chose a red high-neck dress with a white and blue print by Catherine Walker with a coordinating red saucer hat by John Boyd.
Kate wore a wide-brimmed Philip Treacy hat at the same tipped angle, elegantly complementing her Alexander McQueen dress at Royal Ascot in 2023.
Diana pictured at the wedding of Nicholas Soames in London in 1981 wearing a red saucer hat by John Boyd
Kate echoed the look with a Philip Treacy hat at Royal Ascot this year
Twinning in Teal
During a tour in Wellington, New Zealand in 1983 Diana donned a John Boyd silk hat with fan detail corsages and dyed to match her peplum jacket and skirt.
Quite strikingly similar, Kate stunned in head to toe teal on St Patrick’s Day this year. For the occasion she wore a coat dress by Catherine Walker with sharp shoulders, a mock turtleneck collar, long sleeves, and large buttons at the front.
She styled it with teal suede Gianvito Rossi pumps and a matching Jane Taylor London felt hat with a dramatic pleated chiffon embellishment.
Diana chooses a teal suit and matching hat for Wellington, New Zealand, in 1983
Kate’s look for the 2023 St Patrick’s Day Parade at Mons Barracks was strikingly similar in colour and detail
Veiled Detail for A Funeral
Princess Diana chose a wide brimmed hat with veiled detailing for the funeral of Adrian Ward-Jackson, former governor of the Royal Ballet, in 1991. She matched the the extravagant headpiece with pearl drop earrings and a black belted jacket and skirt.
At Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022, Catherine echoed Diana’s look down to the same pearl drop earrings and veil detail on her Philip Treacy hat.
She turned to her favourite British designer, Alexander McQueen, for a coat dress which allowed her pearl choker necklace – previously worn by Diana in 1982 – to stand out clearly.
Princess of Wales wearing a wide brimmed hat with veiled detail at the funeral of Adrian Ward-Jackson in 1991
Catherine, Princess of Wales at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022. She echoed Diana’s funeral ensemble with a 2023 twist of wide brim with a tilt keeping her look current but still chic
Electric Blue
For the 1985 Children of Courage awards, Diana stepped out in an embroidered electric blue suit by Caroline Charles with a matching Philip Somerville hat.
Milliner Somerville often made hats to co-ordinate with the princess’s outfits and was also behind Diana’s move into Jackie Kennedy-style pillboxes.
Catherine replicated the look when she wore her signature style in the same striking shade for Easter Sunday in 2023, bringing back a vibrant royal-blue Catherine Walker tailored coat that she previously wore the year earlier.
Her matching pillbox hat by Lock & Co featured a thin, oversized bow, and she completed the look with some sapphire and diamond earrings.
Princess Diana wearing an electric blue pill box hat with matching Caroline Charles suit at the Children of Courage awards in 1985
