Princess Diana was wearing these way before they were trendy

Fashion icon indeed

Fashion icon indeed

Remember when we told you about the Duchess of Cambridge’s favourite trainers? Well it turns out Princess Diana was wearing them years ago. We know the Kate Middleton effect is a powerful thing, but the Diana effect is not to be underestimated either.

kate middleton trainers

The classic Superga plimsoles are a favourite of the Duchess for more casual events, usually teamed with jeans and a Breton top.

Shop now: Superga 2750 Cotu Classic Plimsolls for £50 from John Lewis

But an eagle-eyed writer at Good Housekeeping noticed Princess Diana had worn the same trainers while visiting Red Cross projects in Angola in 1997.

princess diana

While Kate is a fan of the white version, Diana wore a navy pair, which she teamed with light blue jeans and a smart navy blazer.

Both Royals also kept things casual with their jewellery, opting for discreet gold earrings.

Is this yet another sign the Duchess is paying tribute to her late mother-in-law? We'd like to think so.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.