25 Times Princess Diana's Nieces Channeled Her Iconic Style

Diana, Princess of Wales, was aptly and affectionately known as "The People's Princess" after her sudden and untimely death. Admired for her sweet demeanor, her sense of style elevated her to iconic status. Her fashion evolved and changed throughout the years, and her taste changed from pastel colors, ruffles, and feminine silhouettes in her youth to something edgier and modern as she grew more confident toward the end of her life, favoring sleek tailoring and bold colors and moving away from the "sweeter" side of her youthful tastes.

One of her most famous outfits, known as the "revenge dress," retains cult status to this day, with the public still being big fans of the look — both for its sartorial impact and what it meant for Diana's personal independence. It's not shocking that Diana's fashion legacy can be directly traced down to her twin nieces Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer, who are the daughters of Diana's younger brother Charles, 9th Earl Spencer.

Amelia and Eliza have on many occasions channeled their aunt's iconic style, always co-ordinated without being overly matchy-matchy. They have both showed off their ability to mix classic styles with bold, modern choices, and have said they're both grateful that they "share a sophisticated taste" (via British Vogue). While they haven't yet gained the iconic status of Diana herself, the Spencer sisters are well on their way to being bona fide style icons in their own right.

In this portrait of a young Princess Diana and King Charles on their honeymoon at Balmoral in Scotland, Diana wore an elegant checked, tweed suit designed by royal fashion designer Bill Pashley. Looking fresh-faced and youthful, the beginning of Diana's royal style can be seen here. This outfit was recreated well by both Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer as they attended Day 4 of the Cheltenham Races in 2026, both wearing head-to-toe tweed from Holland Cooper, with accessories from Aspinal of London.

The truth about Princess Diana's iconic revenge dress is well-known, but the fact is that it remains a truly defining moment for both Diana's image and her personal style. Diana wore the off-the-shoulder black dress to dinner at the Serpentine Gallery at Kensington Gardens. A daring and sexy look for the royal, the Princess of Wales donned the frock after the then-Prince Charles admitted to having cheated. So of course, it made sense for Lady Amelia Spencer to go for a similar look when attending the 2024 British Fashion Awards.

In 1995, just two years before her tragic death, Princess Diana attended a concert in Italy to benefit Bosnian children. Wearing a striking white dress with a deep, plunging scoop neckline, pearl earrings, and carrying a silver clutch bag, Diana was the picture of elegance and confidence. This playful energy was recreated by Amelia Spencer when visiting Hôtel Le Meurice in Paris, as she took a photo posing on her hotel bed, wearing a casual white slip dress with her hair down.

The untold truth of Princess Diana is, in many ways, that she remains a uniquely influential figure whose legacy extends beyond British royal history. The resemblance between Diana's gown at the Cannes Film Festival in 1987 and those worn by her nieces Amelia and Eliza Spencer at the Venice International Film Festival in 2025 is obvious — both looks were shown off at different film events, and all three gowns are gorgeous, flowing, pastel-colored with elegant and flattering silhouettes truly fit for a princess.

Princess Diana's approach to evening wear was one of femininity and sophistication, which became increasingly striking as she aged. Pictured attending an event at the Royal Albert Hall, Diana wore a square-necked, double-breasted jacket-style black and white cocktail dress with black slingback heels, looking extremely well put-together. Nieces Amelia and Eliza brought this look up to date for the 21st century as they attended Richard Quinn's 2025 London Fashion Week show, keeping Diana's color scheme and adding different textures and interesting silhouettes, with added bow details.

While many of Princess Diana's outfits showed off her killer legs, not all of her looks were tailored for maximum leg-baring. Once again showing her appreciation for bold evening wear, Diana attended a 1985 event at the Melbourne National Gallery in Australia in an ankle-length red dress with dramatic shoulder details. This boldly-colored outfit seems to have inspired Lady Eliza and Lady Amelia Spencer's own dramatic shapes and big shoulders, designed by Zuhair Murad — with their own addition of plunging necklines, where Diana favored something more modest.

The outfits chosen by Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer for their turn on the red carpet at "The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical" share a striking elegance with one of Princess Diana's memorable black-and-cream evening looks. While Diana's look showed dramatic contrast and was minimally embellished, Amelia and Eliza's outfits reflect more contemporary trends even while maintaining classic tailoring and luxurious fabrics. All three outfits evoke a similar elegance, proving that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree in the Spencer family.

One way in which Princess Diana's nieces take after her is a shared appreciation for refined evening wear, with a particular taste for pieces that balance luxuriousness and taste. Attending a Bolshoi Ballet performance in 1995, Diana matched her beaded and bejeweled outfit perfectly for a sophisticated cultural event, looking polished and confident with her white clutch bag. Decades later, Amelia Spencer appeared at a Michael Kors event in New York City similarly opulent, showing that  cultural event looks don't need to be prim and proper to match the occasion.

Attending two very different cultural events would usually mean some very different outfit choices, but once again Princess Diana's nieces took after their aunt's sartorial elegance when attending the U.K. premiere of "Wuthering Heights" in 2026. Dressed in all black, the Spencers showed off different dress lengths and styles to look co-ordinated but not matchy-matchy. Both outfits appear to nod to half each of Diana's midi-length, sleeveless black gown she wore to a gala in aid of Cancer Research at Bridgwater House, London.

The Spencer twins are certainly adept at updating Diana's looks for the 2020s. While attending a state dinner dinner at Élysée Palace in France, Diana marked the grandeur of the occasion by going decked out in an intricately beaded silver dress and matching jacket. To honor this outfit and also bring it up to date, Amelia Spencer took a different beaded silver cropped jacket and paired it with a long black skirt and simple hair to attend the Gaurav Gupta Haute Couture 2026 show during Paris Fashion Week.

The years may change, but certain tailoring styles can remain classic for decades when done correctly. Spotted chatting with pop star Bryan Adams at a public engagement, Princess Diana wore a smart, impeccably cut suit feels well-balanced between elegance and comfort, once again favoring a simple black and white theme with a flirty ruffle on the shirt suit. Amelia Spencer channeled this classic tailoring idea by heading to the Alberta Ferretti Show during Milan Fashion Week 2021, instead pairing her black suit with a black blouse.

Eliza Spencer took inspiration from Princess Diana by updating her all-black tailored look while attending the Zuhair Murad Haute Couture Week Spring/Summer 2026 show for Paris Fashion Week. Pairing them with a pair of heels that also pay homage to the pointed slingbacks Princess Diana tended to favor as well as a miniature briefcase for a handbag, Eliza looked classic and incredibly sharp.

In her younger years, Princess Diana tended to prefer very feminine looks in pastel colors or shades of pink, and was known for her predominantly pink wardrobe. While this could have been an occasion where Princess Diana broke strict royal rules, instead she was a picture-perfect princess at an event in Brisbane, Australia in a bright pink Victor Edelstein dress. Amelia Spencer gave a nod to her aunt by wearing a draping, pastel pink floor-length gown while attending the Fashion Trust Arabia 2025 After Party in Doha.

Attending a commemorative VJ Day event in 1995, Princess Diana chose to beat the seasonal August warmth by wearing an all-white tailored suit designed by Tomasz Starzewski with a wide-brimmed hat, paired with a large pearl necklace and earrings. Similarly, both Amelia and Eliza Spencer showed off similar looks when attending the Royal Ascot 2025 races by wearing tasteful, coordinated white suits in different cuts, also with large hats that look completely perfect for race day.

Color-blocking is always a classic look, and out of all of the things we know about Prince William and Prince Harry's twin cousins it's that they also look as gorgeous going for a monochrome look as Princess Diana always did. Wearing an all-red skirt suit with a polka dotted shirt and her hair coiffed to 1980s perfection, the matching red clutch bag really finished Diana's outfit. In a similar vein, Amelia and Eliza (pictured with Liz Hurley) attended the Pink Ribbon Dinner in aid of cancer research with Estée Lauder Companies decked out in all pink.

Prince Harry revealed the heartbreaking moment when he stopped wanting a royal life, but one of the main ones has always been his mother's untimely death. However, many sweet moments were recorded between Harry and Diana, including this image where Diana looks comfortable wearing a white turtleneck jumper and a long, brown corduroy skirt, while helping a young Harry down the stairs. Amelia and Eliza Spencer paid homage to this classic look when they were spotted out and about wearing head to toe Michael Kors.

Over the years, the Spencer family has maintained a distinctive approach to monochrome dressing, especially when attending the annual Ascot races. Princess Diana attended in 1988 wearing a white dress with black polka dots designed by Victor Edelstein and a matching Frederick Fox hat. Similarly, Amelia and Eliza Spencer attended Day 2 of Royal Ascot in 2024 wearing matching dresses, with Amelia decked out in dark blue with white polka dots in an inverse version of Diana's Ascot look.

Animal print has remained a powerful fashion statement across generations of the Spencer family, even in completely different contexts. Pictured on holiday with her sons Prince William and Prince Harry on Necker Island in the Caribbean in 1990, Diana was photographed wearing a leopard print swimsuit with a midi-length leopard print skirt over top, barefoot and relaxed walking across the sand. Amelia Spencer managed to recreate this moment while attending Roberto Cavalli's launch of "Wild Leda" at Selfridges, looking equally as striking as her aunt did.

In her more casual moments, Princess Diana was often seen going for simple, comfortable outfits, and had some iconic knitwear moments. On a visit to the Thorpe Park with her sons, Princes William and Harry, Diana looked relaxed wearing jeans, brown boots, and a leather Hard Rock jacket while getting caught in the rain. To elevate this simple look for a high fashion event, Amelia Spencer went for a combination leather jacket and leather trousers outfit, paired with patent leather loafers at the Tod's Milan Fashion Week show.

Princess Diana's love of pink is well-known, so her nieces have had plenty of opportunities to emulate and pay homage to this. Wearing a cheerful pink dress with polka dots paired with a pink hat in the same shade, a bold choice to meet royal fans during a visit to Perth, Australia in 1983. Eliza Spencer wore a similar outfit while attending the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2023, pairing her version of the high-necked pink polka dot dress with white heels.

Making her first public appearance after her wedding at the Highland Games in Braemar, Scotland, Princess Diana looked perfect for the occasion wearing a red tartan dress with a high-neck and distinctive black buttons, with a cute black tam-o-shanter hat. More than four decades later, Eliza Spencer attended the grand opening of L'Atelier Robuchon in Mayfair, London, which saw her mingling with celebrities while wearing a tweed-look tartan shirt with matching trousers, looking both classic and contemporary at the same time.

At the opening of L'Atelier Robuchon, Amelia Spencer recreated parts of another one of Princess Diana's classic looks. Dressed in a black and white houndstooth shirt, Amelia managed to update a look Diana wore to attend the christening of one of her other nieces, Princess Eugenie, at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham. Looking striking in both black and white and red and white houndstooth, combining distinctive and bold designer pieces while still looking appropriate for a royal event.

One of the more obvious things about having a good sense of style is the ability to make simple, dressed-down outfits look like high fashion. This is something Princess Diana and her niece Amelia Spencer have in common, and both can elevate a simple jeans and t-shirt look, with Diana serving her outfit alongside a blazer, boots, baseball cap, and her iconic red balloon sweater in 1988 while Amelia paired hers with a cropped white t-shirt and bomber jacket in preparation for Wimbledon 2026.

Blue is definitely a color that works on all the Spencer ladies, and Princess Diana wore the perfect shade on a visit to Egypt in 1992. The blue dress, which features a long skirt, wide open collar and cinched belt, seemed perfect for the Egyptian heat. Both Amelia and Eliza Spencer tried out their own blue looks when attending the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2024, with both cinching their dresses with a belt in a similar look to Diana's, even while both wore totally different silhouettes.

Princess Diana attended many charity events over the years, and her most well-known charitable cause was the time and attention she paid to AIDS patients, contributing hugely to changing attitudes about the disease. Appearing at a private viewing at Christie's for the AIDS Crisis Trust, Diana wore a cocktail dress embellished with beaded flowers, paired with pearls. Matching her aunt's plunging neckline, Amelia Spencer wore a similar maxi dress in silver at the 4th Talento Fashion Awards at the Madrid Italian Consulate.