Kate Middleton Pays Homage to Princess Diana in Red Houndstooth Coat

Kate Middleton may not have ever had the chance to meet Princess Diana but she’s found ways to pay homage to her late mother-in-law. Her latest nod to Prince William’s mother? Referencing a look she loved so much she wore multiple times — a royal rarity. Today, while in the midst of her first royal tour to Sweden and Norway, Middleton wore a red houndstooth coat that recalled one Princess Diana wore on at least three occasions.

While Middleton opted to wear the wintery material as a knee-length coat, Diana wore it in a contrasting red and black suit by Moschino. The late royal first wore the look designed by fashion bad boy Franco Moschino himself on December 23, 1990 while escorting Prince William to the christening of his cousin, the newly engaged Princess Eugenie. She later stepped out in the Moschino suit another two times: in 1991 during a royal tour in Canada, when she paired it with the same veiled red hat, and in 1992, after the white and black ribbon lacing the jacket had been replaced with a black one.

Meanwhile, Kate paired the look with a burgundy Chanel bag and matching gloves to visit Stockholm’s Matteusskolan School and meet children who participate in the YAM program which focuses on mental health — a cause Prince William has made his own, as he discussed in the British documentary Wasting Away: The Truth About Anorexia last August. “We need to normalize the conversation about mental health. The fact that you are speaking out is incredibly brave,” he said. When asked by Austin whether he’s proud of his mother for speaking out about her struggles, William said, “Absolutely. These are illnesses. Mental health needs to be taken as seriously as physical health.” Prince William and Kate Middleton, along with Prince Harry, have also advocated for mental health awareness with the Heads Together Campaign.

Princess Diana no doubt would be proud of that effort — and she would have approved of Middleton according to Prince William. “It’s the one time since she’s died where I’ve thought to myself, ‘It would be fantastic if she was here,’ and just how sad really for her, more than anything, not being able to see it,” he said of his 2011 wedding day back in May of 2012, as Us Weekly reported. “I think she would have loved the day, and I think, hopefully, she’d be very proud. I’m just very sad that she’s never going to get a chance to meet Kate [Middleton].”