Princess Charlotte looked so cute at the Christmas carol concert with her mother, the Princess of Wales, on Friday, but also paid tribute to a royal grandmother

rincess Charlotte may only be ten years old, but she’s already beginning to follow in the footsteps of her stylish mother, the Princess of Wales, and grandmother, the late Princess Diana, when it comes to her fashion.

At her mother’s highly-anticipated Christmas carol concert on Friday, 5 December, the middle child of the Prince and Princess of Wales wore the most adorable deep blue velvet dress, making a united appearance alongside her brothers, Prince George and Prince Louis, to be their mother’s little helpers.

© Andrew Parsons / Kensington Pala
Princess Charlotte and her mother, the Princess of Wales, smiling together at the Christmas carol concert

However, there’s one detail you might have missed about the young royal’s outfit – as a writer on HELLO!‘s Lifestyle desk, I keep an eye out on every outfit the royals wear, both old and new, and I think that Princess Charlotte’s dress was a subtle but heartwarming callback to her late grandmother’s style.

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Princess Diana at Trooping of the Colour in 1984

For Trooping the Colour in June 1984, Princess Diana wore a beautiful baby blue dress by Dutch designer Jan Van Velden, with a matching hat by milliner John Boyd, which featured a small intricate veil detail. Most notable of all was the dress’ statement rectangular collar, with a more fashion-forward shape that popped against the subtle softness of the rest of her look.

Princess Charlotte’s Christmas carol concert dress featured a very similar statement collar, though the piece itself was in a much darker hue, and we can’t help but draw comparisons between the two stylish royals!

Princess Diana’s enduringly iconic style

Certainly, there are few people who would serve as quite as brilliant a fashion muse for the 10-year-old than her grandmother, the enduring cultural icon, Princess Diana. As well as her charitable work and down-to-earth nature, her fabulous fashion sense is one of the reasons she has become such a cultural staple over the past 40 years.

© Tim Graham Photo Library
Princess Diana’s early style often leaned into Eighties prom dress codes

Before the internet was invented, she was one of fashion’s biggest trendsetters in Britain. Laura Sutcliffe, HELLO!‘s Fashion and Beauty News Editor, who has been extensively covering royal fashion on our desk for eight years, went so far as to call her “the very first fashion influencer”.

Whether it was showing the world that even the most elegant British royal could pull off cycling shorts and oversize sweaters with a Gucci bag, her pastel suits, or the infamous ‘revenge’ dress, Princess Diana has done it all. Everyone wanted to look like her, and it seems that the next generation of royals are also hoping to follow in her suit.