Kate and Charlotte’s outing at Wimbledon looked a lot like when William joined his mother at the same event in 1991
Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte aren’t the first royal mother and child to share a sweet moment at Wimbledon.
On July 14, the Princess of Wales and her 9-year-old daughter had a girls’ day out for the final day of the tennis championships.
During the appearance, Princess Kate, 42, leaned down to talk to Princess Charlotte while clapping, likely unknowingly recreating a similar moment between Princess Diana and Prince William at Wimbledon in 1991. Adding to the double-take moment, Princess Kate stood out in a bold purple dress by Safiyaa, the same statement color Princess Diana wore for the event 33 years prior.
“1991 vs 2024: Two loving mothers at Wimbledon,” a fan blog captioned a side-by-side comparison of the photos on Instagram.
The royal moms’ outfits weren’t the only similarity. When Prince William went to Wimbledon with Princess Diana in 1991, he had recently turned 9, the same age his only daughter is now.
Prince William also joined his mom in the Royal Box though children traditionally aren’t allowed in the exclusive area. Exceptions are made for British royal kids to join their parents there, and Prince William and Princess Kate’s eldest child, Prince George, also sat there during his two Wimbledon appearances in 2022 and 2023.
Lady Diana Spencer, as she was known before her marriage to the future King Charles, was first photographed at Wimbledon in July 1981, just a few weeks before their royal wedding later that month. She attended again in 1987 and brought along Wiliam in 1991. Princess Diana would return to Wimbledon most summers of the early 1990s, including another outing with Prince William in 1994.
Diana’s last appearance at the championship would be in 1995, and she and then-Prince Charles finalized their divorce the following year. She died in 1997 at age 36 following a car accident in Paris.
Many years after the fact, Princess Diana’s little girls in-regulation, Princess Kate and Meghan Markle, are known to honor her notable style through design and gems. Princess Kate, who turned into the new conveyor of Diana’s title as the Princess of Grains as the spouse of a male successor to the English privileged position, may have taken motivation from her late mother by marriage by donning purple at Wimbledon on July 14, denoting her most memorable time brandishing the shade at the tennis competition.
The tailor made purple dress additionally paired the green and purple necktie pin that Kate wears to Wimbledon as supporter of the All Britain Club. She did likewise last year, sporting green for every one of the three competition appearances in amazing variety coordination with her pin.
Bethan Holt, the Fashion Director at the Daily Telegraph, tells PEOPLE, “Kate has a history of choosing clever, whimsical themes for her Wimbledon looks, and this was a new one. Wearing purple underlines how important that role is to her and why she chose this event to make her second public appearance of the year.”
“It’s also the color of courage, which could be a nod to what she is going through,” she added.
While Wimbledon has for some time been a staple on Kate’s mid year schedule, her excursion at the 2024 competition came as she proceeds with therapy for disease. The trip with her little girl and sister, Pippa Middleton, was just her second open appearance this year following Marching the Variety on June 15.
The Princess of Grains reported in Spring that she was going through therapy for disease and has been remaining to a great extent beyond the spotlight to secretly focus on her wellbeing in the months since.