Appearing in a heartfelt video released by Kensington Palace to highlight her continued work with the Scouts, the Princess of Wales made a nostalgic nod to the Princess Royal in a baker boy hat.
Donning a green tweed Really Wild Clothing hat, Bella Hoskyns bomber jacket, brown Emilia Wickstead knit and her signature skinny jeans, the royal was clearly in full country mode.
But in a subtle twist it appears Kate Middleton is taking a leaf out of Princess Anne’s famously unfussy style playbook, starting with a very familiar piece of headgear crowning off her look.
Anne’s love affair with the tweed baker boy hat began in 1975. She championed the classic accessory and was frequently seen wearing the flat-crowned cap with her trademark equestrian ensembles at horse trials, country shows, and low-key royal engagements.
Never one for high fashion or the paparazzi spotlight, Anne perfected the art of understated, practical dressing decades before the term ‘quiet luxury’ made its way into the fashion lexicon. And now, it seems, the Princess of Wales is echoing that very aesthetic.
Kate’s own history with the style stretches back more than a decade. She first wore a Really Wild Clothing baker boy hat in 2013 at a meeting with a local Scout group, embracing the rural, practical look that Anne has long embodied.
In a subtle twist it appears Kate Middleton is taking a leaf out of Princess Anne ’s famously unfussy style playbook, starting with a very familiar piece of headgear crowning off her look
The Princess of Wales posted this beautiful photograph taken by Prince Louis on World Cancer Day earlier this year
The new Princess of Wales definitely seems to be channeling Princess Anne’s country style
Most recently, a new baker boy hat from the same brand made yet another poignant appearance when Kate shared a photo of herself wearing it, taken by Prince Louis, on World Cancer Day earlier this year. A subtle yet powerful image that captured both resilience and simplicity.
Once again, the hat served as a quiet reminder of the values that underpin both her public role and her personal struggles.
The retro silhouette is a core piece of English countryside fashion heritage. After becoming popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was soon adopted by the upper class for outdoor events like hunting or shooting.
Industry icons including Brigitte Bardot and Jane Birkin popularised the look in the 60s and the fashionistas of the 2000s gave the hat major It-girl accessory status. It also appeared in the 2010s across the catwalk in all colours, textures and sizes for a variety of aesthetics.
Beyond the tweed baker boy hat, the parallels between Kate and Princess Anne are undeniable. Look a little closer, and you’ll spot another striking similarity between the two royals, their matching, no-nonsense hairdos.
From those bouffant up-dos and chignons to the face-framing, bouncy backcombing and beehives, Kate seems to be taking more than a few cues from Anne’s retro hair archive.
Both classic brunettes with subtle, natural-looking colour and enviably thick, healthy locks, Kate and Anne appear to share a philosophy of polished, pulled-together hair that’s less about following trends and more about timeless, functional elegance.
The repeating pattern doesn’t stop there, with Kate embracing many of Anne’s longstanding fashion principles, and in particular the art of wardrobe recycling.
Like Anne, who has famously re-worn decades-old coats and accessories, Kate has shown an increasing preference for reworking old favourites, signalling a shift away from trend-chasing and towards timeless, utilitarian chic.
Influencing trends since before the 1970s, Princess Anne has often been dubbed the hardest-working royal and has always been more concerned with her duties than her wardrobe.
And now, with increased scrutiny and public pressure in the wake of health challenges and heightened family tensions, it appears Kate may be adopting a similar approach. The clothes, it seems, are beginning to take a backseat to the cause.
Increasingly dressing in a way that feels like armour, Kate has been choosing pieces that are functional, familiar, and fuss-free. There’s almost a quiet message in there, ‘I’m here to work, not to be looked at’, which is very much the sentiment of Princess Anne.
While the Princess of Wales has never lacked her own signature sense of style, from dazzling gowns to her effortless off-duty looks, there’s a new seriousness emerging in her wardrobe, one that mirrors Anne’s pragmatism, and what better mentor to emulate?
Kate was seen cooking bread twists around a campfire, during her visit to the and Cub Scouts at the Great Tower Scout Camp near Newby Bridge in Cumbria, 2013
Catherine’s style influencer, Princess Anne, in a baker boy cap, Barbour style coat and waterproof boots strides through the mud on a rainy day at the British Eventing Gatcombe Horse Trials, 2006
Catherine, Princess of Wales in her country attire looked like she had taken a page out of the Princess Royal’s style book
The baker boy hat may seem like a simple accessory, a throwback to country chic, a nod to the practical. But when placed in context, it speaks volumes. It’s a bridge between two women, both royal, both dedicated, both resilient in the face of public pressure. And both, it seems, united in their belief that sometimes the best fashion statement is no statement at all.
Of course, fans of the Princess of Wales have long admired her for mixing glamour with groundedness. But this recent evolution, embracing Anne’s signatures from head to toe, marks a distinct moment in Kate’s fashion journey.
Whether it’s the recycled coats, the low-key tailoring, or the off-duty country wear, Kate is subtly carving out a new phase in her royal image, one rooted in substance over spectacle.
Could this be the dawn of a new royal fashion era? One where elegance is measured not in headlines or hemlines, but in heritage, practicality, and purpose?
If so, then Princess Anne, often overlooked in the fashion world but now being reappraised by a younger generation, might just be its unwitting muse.
And Kate, ever the modern royal, knows exactly how to pay homage while making it feel fresh, relevant, and real, letting her work speak louder than her wardrobe.
