When the first photos of Princess Catherine's mother Carole Middleton were published, royal fans were shocked by the family resemblance.
Prince William's then-girlfriend and potential in-laws made an appearance at the Festival of British Eventing at Princess Anne's home, Gatcombe Park, in August 2005, around one year after the university sweethearts' relationship was made public.
Looking back at the pictures today, it is clear that Carole has an age-defying wardrobe. Leaning into the classic noughties fashion tropes, the Party Pieces founder wore an almost identical outfit to her eldest daughter.
A beige padded gilet added a layer of warmth over her wrapover ballerina jumper, which featured cropped sleeves and a low V-neck. Low-slung jeans hugged her figure, accentuated by a wide brown leather belt, and waterproof boots added a practical touch in the unpredictable British weather.
Her brunette hair was left loose in the wind, while her daughter Catherine chose a brown hat with plaited detail. Much like her glamorous mother, the then-23-year-old opted for hip-skimming jeans secured with a brown belt that matched her suede knee-high boots. She continued with the colour scheme with a chocolate military jacket, broken up by the pop of teal in her V-neck jumper.
© GettyCarole Middleton's casual approach to fashion
Carole has proven herself to be a jeans girl, even suggesting that she prefers quick, decisive shopping trips. When asked about how she feels about shopping, she told The Telegraph: "Hate it."
During a 2021 interview with Good Housekeeping, she hinted this practical approach extends to her private life at her Berkshire home with her husband Michael and their seven grandchildren: Catherine's three kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis; Pippa's three children, Arthur, Grace and Rose Matthews; and James' son, Inigo.
© Getty"I want to run down the hills, climb the trees and go through the tunnel at the playground. As long as I am able to, that’s what I’ll be doing. I cook with them, I muck about dancing, we go on bike rides," she said.
Princess Catherine's mother's 'classy' fashion rules
© GettyBroadcaster Jo Good previously told HELLO! that her career could have played a small role in her approach to fashion today. "I think the fact she was an air hostess is key. They always look well groomed, naturally. Everything about them, the hair, the nails, the makeup, the clothes, they always look chic," she said.
Praising Carole's more daring approach, Jo added: "What I love about her is that she defies a lot of the rules, which I've always said, because I'm 70, it's our age group that makes these rules, but the generations below us don't.
"So she will show her knees, she will show a bit of cleavage. She will show her arms, all of these things that we are told we shouldn't do over a certain age, and I don't blame her. She does so in a classy way."
