Kate Middleton wasn’t sure about making a fashion statement after she married Prince William

The Duchess of Cambridge is widely seen as one of the most stylish royals - just take a look at her best dresses here - but it seems like she wasn't always confident about her fashion.

In fact, when she married Prince William, she was apparently hesitant to follow in the footsteps of her late mother-in-law. Princess Diana is still to this day regarded as a global style icon, and any outfit she wore would make the front page.

According to royal author Bethan Hold, who wrote The Duchess of Cambridge: A Decade of Modern Royal Style, Kate was 'really careful not to dive into the fashion in the way that Diana did'.

The Duchess was also aware she didn't want her clothes to distract from what causes she was championing.

She told 9Honey, 'Diana really quickly became this fashion icon and everyone was going crazy for what she wore. I think Kate was a little bit more tentative because she realised she didn't want it to just be about what she was wearing.'

Over time, Kate has grown in confidence with her outfits, and has often paid tribute to Diana in subtle ways, such as when she wore this dress when introducing Prince Louis after his birth.

Hold said, 'I think she has really realised and learnt from Diana that you can put messages into your clothing and very often she has nodded to Diana herself, at certain moments where it felt very special to do that'.

We also know Kate uses clothes and accessories to pay homage to visiting countries while on royal tour, or even to her family (she loves her necklaces engraved with her children's initials).