The Princess Royal has once again shown her knack for giving treasured pieces a second life, stepping out in London yesterday in a gown first seen 42 years ago and reaffirming her reputation as royalty’s champion of sustainable style.
Anne, 75, looked elegant as she arrived at Guildhall with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, to attend the Centenary Banquet of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners.
The King’s sister chose a soft butter-yellow dress decorated with pink embroidered roses and finished with a subtle cape-style detail, completing the look with cream heels.
Royal watchers on X were quick to track down earlier images of Anne in the very same gown, worn during her 1984 visit to Gambia as patron of Save the Children UK.
Aged 34 at the time, Anne wore the floral design to a reception at State House in Banjul, styling it then with a striking gold and diamond necklace, matching earrings and white gloves.
‘She has done it again!’ one royal admirer said of the ‘fashion icon’ after spotting the outfit’s return in an Instagram video, noting it had been worn 42 years apart. ‘Does she not prove, every single time, that fashion transcends age?’
Other fans were equally impressed that her vintage pieces appeared to ‘still fit perfectly’, with one joking: ‘I can’t fit into things I bought last year!’
Another commenter wrote: ‘I cannot get over her, it’s amazing and beautiful how she wears her clothing from 40+ years ago. I don’t know how she is able to still fit into them, but it’s really special.’
Anne, 75, was typically graceful as she arrived at Guildhall alongside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, for the Centenary Banquet of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners
Eagle-eyed X users quickly unearthed photographs of Anne wearing the same dress in 1984, when she travelled to Gambia in her role as patron of Save the Children UK
Often fondly dubbed the Queen of Recycling, Princess Anne is famous for her timeless wardrobe filled with pieces she gives new life to decades later.
At Royal Ascot this year, she looked effortlessly glamorous in a pale pink skirt suit set that she also wore to the prestigious British racing event 25 years ago.
When she attended her son Peter Phillips’ wedding to Harriet Sperling earlier this month, she donned the same butter yellow hat as the one she wore to her daughter Zara Tindall’s christening 45 years ago.
Anne was radiant in the tonal ensemble, including a button-up jacket and hat in the same sunshine hue, which she accessorised with a black bag.
The former Olympian paired the yellow hat with a strawberry print dress for Zara’s christening at Windsor Castle in 1981.
Princess Anne has many times circled back around to her favourite coats, dresses, hats and handbags over the years – earning her the nickname the Queen of Royal recycling.
Sometimes, she goes a step further by replicating the outfit in its entirety – complete with jewellery and shoes.
Other classic examples of Anne’s recycling include the turquoise dress, which she wore for the first time during the 1978 state visit of President Khama of Botswana when she was 26.
The dress has popped up again numerous times over the years, including at the Royal Ascot in 2013 and for a visit to the Queen Elizabeth 2 hotel in Dubai in 2024.
There is also the lilac coat, which made an appearance at least six times on royal duties between 1982 and 2004.
She once addressed the habit, asserting: ‘A good suit goes on forever.
‘If it is properly made and has a classic look, you can wear it ad infinitum. The economy was bred into me.’
In March, Anne put a contemporary spin on a glamorous coat she first wore 57 years ago.
The princess entered Windsor’s St George’s Hall dressed in a floor-length, cream-coloured coat to attend a banquet hosted by King Charles to honour the first Nigerian state visit in almost 40 years.
Yet eagle-eyed royal onlookers noted this was actually the same garment she donned aged 18 in June 1969 while attending the London premiere of Run Wild, Run Free.
Nearly six decades on, dressmakers appeared to have made several tweaks to the dress, including alterations to the collar, which was replaced with a more traditional shape and plain material.
Anne also paired the coat with another Royal Family heirloom piece – a City of London diamond choker which was previously gifted to Queen Mary and remains largely unseen in the public realm.
