Royal fans were treated to a rare appearance by Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales at this year’s Wimbledon final, with the much loved figure having taken a break from her rigorous cancer treatment to watch the men’s singles final. Yet while fans were delighted to see the Princess back in public, and accompanied by her daughter Princess Charlotte, several eagle eyed royal aficionados couldn’t help but notice how Kate also appeared to be honouring her late mother-in-law Princess Diana in several snaps from the event.

For the high profile outing on July 14, Kate opted to wear a stunning purple dress by fashion house Safiyaa – the very same bold colour that had been worn by Princess Diana at Wimbledon 33 years prior! In a further echo to the former Princess of Wales, the subsequent holder of the title also adopted a similar pose to Diana, with Kate posing alongside Charlotte to watch the match, just as Diana had once done with her eldest son Prince William.

Sharing the throwback on Instagram pointing out the uncanny similarities, one fan wrote: “1991 vs 2024: Two loving mothers at Wimbledon.”

Kate Middleton delighted fans when she made a surprise appearance at the Wimbledon men’s single finals alongside daughter Princess Charlotte ( 
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And the similarities didn’t stop there either, as it later emerged that Prince William was just nine years old in the throwback photo, the very same age that Princess Charlotte was when she followed in his footsteps to attend the annual tennis event!

Typically, most children aren’t usually allowed to sit in the royal box, but special exceptions have been made for the royal children in the past, with Prince George having sat alongside both his parents in the exclusive seats in both 2022 and 2023. This year however, both Prince William and Prince George were absent from the proceedings, as they had travelled to Berlin to watch England take on Spain in the Euros 2024 final.

Fans couldn’t help but notice how Kate bore a striking resemblance to Princess Diana at the event, some 33 years prior! ( 
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Throughout the course of their relationship, William and Kate have often been regular attendees at Wimbledon in previous years, with the couple sharing a love of the sport that had once also captivated Diana. Throughout the 80s and 90s the Princess had often visited the tournament, even bringing William along with her for the first time in 1991, and then again in 1994.

In the throwback snap, Princess Diana posed alongside Prince William, then aged 9, while wearing the same vivid shade of purple sported by her daughter-in-law ( 
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Her final appearance came in 1995, one year before her divorce to then-Prince Charles was finalised and two years before her tragic death at the age of 36. Even now however, several decades after her untimely passing, both of her daughters in law Meghan Markle and Princess Kate continue to take style cues from the late royal and often incorporate subtle nods to her in their outfits and accessories.

Having taken on the title that was previously held by Diana, several experts have even suggested that the new Princess of Wales may have taken inspiration from her predecessor when selecting her vivid outfit for this year’s outing – particularly as it was the first time Kate had worn purple to the event.

The pair even sported similar body language in several of the photos despite being taken three decades apart ( 
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Bethan Holt, the Fashion Director at the Daily Telegraph, told 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 colour of courage, which could be a nod to what she is going through,” she added.

In addition, purple has long been considered to be a colour associated with royalty, and may also be a subtle nod towards her senior role as the wife of the future monarch. The colour has also previously been connected to ambition and setting goals, which could also be a positive hint at her own optimism surrounding her ongoing health battle.