Princess Charlotte wore grandma Princess Diana’s favourite fashion style

There was a sweet nod to Princess Diana in Princess Charlotte's ninth birthday portrait, with the youngster wearing one of her late grandmother's favourite fashion styles - did you spot it? 

Princess Charlotte's ninth birthday portrait sent fans into a frenzy as they filled the comment section with gushing comments about how grown up the royal youngster, who sits third in the royal line of succession, looks now. 

The picture, as well as being an incredibly sweet photo of the royal, also included a sweet nod to her great-grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, that many fans missed - and now another hidden tribute has been pointed out and we can't believe we didn't notice it before! 

The photo, which was snapped as usual by Kate Middleton, saw Charlotte smiling in a garden, leaning on a fence in the sunshine, with her face framed by some beautiful pale pink flowers. Now, look closely at her outfit. 

She's wearing an adorable knitted cardigan by Cyrillus, layered over a blue sweatshirt, with a jean skirt and tights to keep warm in the unpredictable spring weather. But just peaking out of the top of the sweater, barely visible, is a slither of floral material around her neck. 

That frilled bit of fabric is a pie-crust collar, a frilly style of shirt collar that is all ruffles and fun. The style was huge in the 80s and has been making a comeback in fashion for a few years now. But who else was a fan of the style back when it first made an appearance on the fashion scene? Princess Charlotte's grandmother, Prince William's mother, Princess Diana, who passed away in 1997. 

Princess Diana was spotted in the collar style on multiple occasions, often pairing the ruffled piece with patterned midi dresses, statement blazers and pinstripe suits. 

Most often she was spotted in pieces reminiscent of Princess Charlotte's subtle collar, but sometimes she'd opt for a dramatic ruffled style to really add some excitement to her outfits. 

It's no surprise that Charlotte has adopted the look as her mum Kate Middleton is also a huge fan of the style. Like her daughter, Kate has been seen wearing a pie-crust collar underneath a sweatshirt to add some formality into the laid back piece, paying homage to her mother-in-law and looking fabulous while doing so!

In other royal news, Prince George, Charlotte and Prince Louis will skip this iconic royal event this year - but the reason why is completely understandable. And Prince George, Charlotte and Louis will be delighted with the exciting new feature in King Charles’ garden - and it also lets the monarch live out his own childhood dream. Plus, Prince George, Charlotte and Louis’ guinea pigs are more than just cute, experts reveal they’re teaching the kids some very important life lessons too.