The Princess of Wales is a British fashion icon – a master of elegance, in both its more subtle and its brighter forms.
One dress style, with a pop of patterns and colour, has undeniably become her signature, and it wasn't long before her daughter Princess Charlotte cottoned on to Princess Kate's impeccable fashion sense.
© WireImageThe polka dots are a timeless pattern and royal tradition that many British royals have had in their wardrobe over the years, and it seems that the young Charlotte is no exception.
At Wimbledon last year, the nine-year-old looked absolutely adorable in a polka dot navy ruffled frock from Guess.
© Getty ImagesPrincess Charlotte also rocked a pair of beautiful white ballet flats and wore her brunette hair long and straight, twinning with her mother.
Princess Kate's polka dot obsession
Princess Kate owns several styles of polka dot dresses, from brands including Topshop, Alessandra Rich, Emilia Wickstead and more – each time she wears one, the 'Kate effect' works its magic and the search for polka dot dresses skyrockets. See Princess Kate's polka dot outfit for the Commonwealth Day service in 2023...
Colour psychologist and director of design at Lick Colour, Tash Bradley, previously told HELLO! more about Kate's love for the polka dots.
"So someone who is wearing polka dots, they're wanting to portray a fun-ness, a sort of playfulness," she says. "When you think of polka dots you instantly soften."
© Neil MockfordShe continued, commenting on the trend's prominence among royals: "It's interesting that they've all gone for polka dots because that straight away just screams out fun. That you're there to have a bit of fun, you're not trying to take yourself too seriously, you're trying to be softer in your approach, I would say."
A royal history of polka dots
Though they're very much the Princess of Wales' signature style now, there is a very clear history of polka dot dresses being worn by the British royal family over the years, dating back to the 1940s, with Princess Margaret, the younger sister of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesPrincess Diana continued the trend in the 1980s, including wearing an incredible black and white polka dot dress to the Epsom Derby in 1986.
© Getty ImagesTash also commented on the royals' frequent choice of black and white, with Princess Kate in mind, for their dotted outfits, calling it "very Audrey Hepburn, very sophisticated, very elegant".
She also added that: The colour combination of the black and white with the polka dots works beautifully because then they have the elegance, the sophistication that she still needs, but polka dots – fun, approachable, so that's fascinating."
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