Princess Kate Middleton appeared to pay tribute to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, while attending Trooping the Colour 2026.
Kate, 44, stunned in a pastel blue Catherine Walker dress that featured white piping along the trim to coordinate with her statement Philip Treacy hat that reminded royal watchers of Diana’s similar ensemble from a 1992 public appearance.
Diana visited the Delhi War Cemetery in Delhi, India, in February 1992, where she wore a blue-and-white suit designed by Walker with a blue Philip Somerville hat. Diana’s blue jacket, much like Kate’s dress during Trooping the Colour, featured white piping down the lapels.
The People’s Princess died in August 1997 after a fatal car crash in Paris when she was 36 years old. Diana is survived by sons Prince William and Prince Harry, whom she shared with ex-husband King Charles III.
William, 43, married Kate in 2011 after several years of dating. The couple eventually welcomed kids Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 7, all of whom joined the Trooping the Colour parade and military flypast on Saturday in coordinating blue or white ensembles.
While neither Kate nor her children met Diana before her untimely death, the Prince of Wales kept her memory alive.
Princess Diana in 1992. Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images
“I have taken some guidance from what my mother did,” William said in his We Can End Homelessness documentary that aired in 2024. “When I was very small my mother started talking about homelessness, much like I do now with my children on the school run.”
At the time, William recalled Diana often taking him and brother Harry, 41, to local shelters to lend a hand.
The royal family allegedly encouraged Princess Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle to take style cues from their late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. According to royal expert Omid Scobie’s new book, Endgame, Kate, 41, and Meghan, 42, felt “gentle pushes” from members of The Firm to take style cues from Diana. Page Six excerpted the book on […]
“When you’re [that] small, you’re curious, and you’re kind of trying to work out what’s going on,” William added in the doc. “You just ask the question, like, ‘Well, why are they sitting there?’ And my mother would talk to us a bit about why they were there. It definitely had a really big impact.”
Nearly two years later, William honored Diana on UK Mother’s Day.
“Remembering my mother, today and every day,” he wrote via social media in March, alongside rare family photos. “Thinking of all those who are remembering someone they love today. Happy Mother’s Day.”
As for Kate, she has often sartorially paid tribute to Diana’s memory. She even wears the same sapphire engagement ring given to Diana by Charles, 77, before their royal nuptials.
