Kate Middleton's sequin dress pays homage to iconic Princess Diana look

Kate Middleton’s sequin dress from the Royal Variety Performance wowed fans and there’s a heart-warming tribute to Princess Diana in this iconic look. 

• The Duchess of Cambridge opted to step out in a glittering green gown as she and Prince William attended the Royal Variety Performance on 18th November. 
• This isn’t the first time Kate Middleton has worn this dress, but it also bears a striking resemblance to one worn by Princess Diana.
• This royal news (opens in new tab) comes as Meghan Markle shares a new snap of Archie feeding his chickens in designer wellies – and they’re on sale (opens in new tab).

Kate Middleton made a special appearance at the Royal Variety Performance on 18th November and her sequin dress stole the show at the star-studded event. Just like her sensational gold dress (opens in new tab) from the No Time To Die premiere in September, this green number was designed by Jenny Packham. And it might not have come as a surprise to many fans to discover that the Duchess of Cambridge's sequin dress wasn't making its fashion debut that night. 

Kate is known for re-wearing much-loved items again for different occasions and is understood to have previously worn this magnificent gown during a royal visit to Pakistan back in 2019. 

Now the Duchess, who is a senior member of The Firm (opens in new tab), has brought it out once again for this fabulous occasion and it pays a wonderful tribute to her late mother-in-law Princess Diana. Back in 1990, the Princess of Wales was pictured wearing an equally stunning blue-green sequin dress when she attended the Diamond Ball at the Royal Lancaster Hotel.

She was accompanied by Prince Charles to the event and her majestic dress is understood to have been crafted by one of her favourite designers, Catherine Walker.

Diana also wore this particular dress for a visit to Austria in 1986 and whilst it does look blue in some photographs, there is also a distinct green undertone to the sequin embellishments. This is something Diana herself picked out for the Diamond Ball, where she was snapped wearing forest green shoes, jewellery and a bag to complement the rich tones of the gown. 

This fabulous outfit is just one of the Catherine Walker pieces Diana wore over the years. According to People (opens in new tab) magazine, during her royal tour of Australia in 1983, the Princess of Wales also wore two stunning pink looks by the designer.

Whilst her iconic ‘Elvis Dress’ was also reportedly a Catherine Walker creation and Diana wore this when presenting the British Designer of the Year Award at the British Fashion Awards.

Kate Middleton’s decision to re-wear her own beautiful sequin dress was a wonderful way to not only reflect on the gown’s history and make new memories in it, but also mirrored Diana’s dress and how she too wore it on multiple special occasions. 

Whilst the similarity between the two dresses could of course be a coincidence, this wouldn’t be the first time that the Duchess of Cambridge has echoed her late mother-in-law’s style choices.

Kate channelled Princess Diana (opens in new tab) in a striking head-to-toe red outfit earlier this year and even replicated one of her outfits (opens in new tab) on a royal outing to the West Midlands in May.

Whether or not an homage was planned, Kate Middleton looked effortlessly elegant in her sequin dress at the Royal Variety Performance. This iconic look likely also brought back some lovely memories of Princess Diana’s style moments for royal fans.