Queen Letizia of Spain looked effortlessly chic when she sported a playful prairie collar which lined a V-neck black sweater for a meeting in Madrid.

And the simple look paid an unwitting tribute to a young Princess Diana who, with a wardrobe that spanned casual gym-goer to eccentric celebrity, still seems to permeate the high-end and high street female wardrobe today.

A key element of her daring yet feminine 80s wardrobe, Diana’s appearances in an elegant, ruffled collar manifested her childlike innocence and elegant charm.

This was demonstrated with fashionable ease by the princess – and now Queen Letizia decades later, reminding fashion followers that Diana’s classic style lives on.

The style echoes between the pair do not stop at American-style ruffles, with the decorative collars as the latest installment in a series of ongoing style parallels.

Princess Diana's 80s wardrobe was bold and oversized, featuring a series of dramatic collars like this one she wore in 1981
+18
View gallery

Queen Letizia of Spain wore a modernised version of the statement accessory on a V-neck Sandro sweater in January 2023
+18
View gallery

Diana’s opulent prairie collar, pictured left in 1981, was unwittingly replicated by the glamorous Letizia in January 2023

Princess Diana looked elegant at a ballet performance in 1992 wearing a slim-fitting Catherine Walker dress
+18
View gallery

Letizia wore an ivory pussybow blouse by Carolina Herrera and pink maxi skirt designed by her seamstress to meet diplomats at the Royal Palace in Madrid, donning the same colour palette as Diana
+18
View gallery

The style resemblance was uncanny when Queen Letizia, 50, wore a pink and white ensemble which used the same blocks of colours as previously worn by Princess Diana in 1992

The princess wore a wide-fitting Catherine Walker dress suit for a Phil Collins concert in 1990 with matching satin shoes
+18
View gallery

Queen Letizia's satin blue suit was a more slim-fitting option which she also wore with matching high heels in Madrid in 2010
+18
View gallery

Style similarities between the pair can be spotted as far back as 2010 when Queen Letizia donned a similar navy blue suit to Princess Diana, pictured left in 1990

The princess wore a tweed camel coat designed by Caroline Charles and a hat by John Boyd for her first official tour in October 1981
+18
View gallery

Queen Letizia stunned in a Carolina Herrera stone double-face wool coat in 2018 that was a fascinating echo of Princess Diana's trip to Wales
+18
View gallery

A sleek camel-coloured coat has been spotted on the both the royal fashionistas, each tied with a figure-hugging belt. Diana is pictured in 1981 and Letizia in 2018

Princess Diana wore a matching navy pinstripe look for Centrepoint's Christmas campaign in Dec 1996
+18
View gallery

Queen Letizia departed for an official visit to Germany also wearing a navy pinstripe BOSS Kocani pinstripe blazer in 2022
+18
View gallery

Sporting a classic style, the pair have both donned pinstripe blazers almost 30 years apart, with Diana seen in the outfit in 1996, and Letizia in 2022

Princess Diana wore a white Versace dress to arrive in Argentina in November 1995
+18
View gallery

Queen Letizia wore a similar white sleeveless dress by Hugo Boss at Zarzuela Palace in July 2018
+18
View gallery

The sleek and simple midi dress appear to be a timeless staple of the glamorous royal wardrobe, with Princess Diana and Queen Letizia’s looking remarkably similar. Diana is pictured in 1995 and Letizia in 2018

Princess Diana wore a red Catherine Walker dress at Northwick Park Hospital in 1997
+18
View gallery

Queen Letizia's red Hugo Boss dress for the 'La Caixa' scholarships in Barcelona 2017 gave the same daring imperssion
+18
View gallery

Queen Letizia’s bold chili-coloured dress in 2017 emulated a similar item worn by Princess Diana in 1997 on her last official engagement before she died

Princess Diana arrived in Zurich in a striking long red overcoat carrying her luggage in March 1994
+18
View gallery

Queen Letizia's smart Zara coat worn when visiting 'Nino Jesus' Children's hospital in Madrid in 2016
+18
View gallery

Even Princess Diana’s taste in overcoats (pictured in 1994) seems timeless as Queen Letizia was seen in a similar red coat in 2016

Princess Diana wore a smart Versace skirt suit with matching black handbag and high heels
+18
View gallery

Queen Letizia wore a similar suit to receive the President of Colombia at the Zarzuela Palace in 2018
+18
View gallery

And Princess Diana and Queen Letizia looked chic in two piece suits partnered with simple black high heels

As far back as 2010, Letizia, wife of King Felipe VI, donned a slim-fitting navy blue satin suit with matching high heels at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid.

The outfit had the same sophistication as Diana’s wider-fitting option for a Phil Collins concert in 1990, featuring a double-breasted navy jacket with a satin collar and similar matching satin shoes.

In an earlier photograph of the new ‘people’s princess’, Diana wrapped up in a camel coat to grace the rainy streets of Wales for her first official tour in 1981.

The simple attire was a subtle contrast against the blue, red and white Union Jack flags and Letizia chose the same pebble-like colour for her figure-flattering wool coat in 2018.

The pair have each shown off their versions of classic styles, sporting pinstripe blazers and simple round-neck midi dresses and the desire to channel Diana’s iconic glamour is still shared by the most dazzling European royals.