Royals rocking decades-old dresses: Princess Kate, Queen Letizia & more’s oldest looks revamped
Sustainability has been of increasing concern to the royal family, who have proven their commitment to reducing their environmental impact and ditching fast fashion by recycling their outfits on multiple occasions.
Aside from digging through their recent wardrobe for looks that are just two or five years old, the likes of Queen Rania, Queen Camilla and Queen Letizia have all shown off their timeless wardrobe by stepping out in outfits over a decade old.
Join us as we look back at the Princess of Wales, Princess Anne and more offering up throwback fashion moments – some are from 38 years earlier.
Queen Letizia’s Christening dress
Queen Letizia of Spain was the picture of elegance at her daughter Princess Leonor’s christening in 2006. She was pictured at the Royal Palace in Madrid in a Chanel-style blazer dress accessorised with metallic gold pumps for the family occasion.
Fifteen years later, her dress got another outing at the ceremony of the delivery of the National Flag to the ACAVIET (Aviation Academy of the Army) in Colmenar Viejo.
Princess of Wales’ lilac gown
The Princess of Wales has only been in the royal family for thirteen years, but she has already managed to recycle a ten-year-old dress.
Kate attended the Earthshot Prize Awards with her husband Prince William in 2021 in a lilac Alexander McQueen gown with a Grecian-style one-shouldered neckline. It adhered to the awards’ dress code, which asked attendees to “consider the environment when choosing their outfit” since she had previously worn it in 2011 to a BAFTA event in Los Angeles.
The main tweak to her look was the new sparkling belt – stunning!
Queen Camilla’s winter jacket
Queen Camilla’s deep green midi coat is a winter staple. The royal, who is Colonel-in-Chief of the Rifles, rocked the emerald jacket for a visit to Westminster Abbey’s Field of Remembrance in 2020.
She added leather gloves, a white ruffled top and knee-high boots – much like her look from 2007 when she presented operational service medals to soldiers returning from a six-month deployment to Iraq.
© GettyPrincess Anne’s pink satin look
Princess Anne has long championed sustainable fashion and often gives decades-old looks a new lease of life.
The Princess Royal first turned heads in her Barbie pink puff-sleeved top and contrasting checked skirt to the BAFTAs in 1984. Fifteen years later, Anne surprised royal fans by stepping out in almost the exact same outfit at the Save the Children Festival of Trees – aside from the addition of long tailored sleeves instead of puff sleeves.
© Shutterstock / GettyPrincess Anne’s cream coat
You can’t go wrong with investing in a tailored suit, just take Princess Anne’s cream and navy jacket for proof. She was in her thirties when she first wore the midi coat with contrasting shoulders to Royal Ascot in June 1980.
The royal has worn it on several occasions since, including to the Epsom Derby in 1985, as well as in 2015 and 2018.
© Getty / ShutterstockPrincess Anne’s wedding guest dress
Princess Anne pushed the dress code rules in 1981 when she attended her brother King Charles’ first wedding with his late ex-wife Princess Diana in a bridal white midi dress with yellow flowers and ruffles.
The royal rebelled once again over 20 years later in 2008 when she chose it as her wedding guest dress at Lady Rose Windsor’s nuptials.
Queen Rania’s little black dress
Queen Rania of Jordan made a statement when she re-wore her elegant black dress for the official portrait to mark King Abdullah II’s Silver Jubilee in 2024.
The column dress featuring capped sleeves and a boat neckline may have looked familiar to fans since it was the same one she wore in her first official portrait shared by the Hashemite Royal Court 25 years earlier in 1999.
