During the recent state visit by Donald and Melania Trump to the U.K., Kate Middleton did what she frequently does and absolutely stole the show. This was true throughout the visit, starting with the moment Kate and her husband, Prince William, greeted the Trumps when their helicopter, Marine One, landed on the grounds at Windsor Castle, but it was probably most obvious later that evening, during the state banquet.
Kate was characteristically stunning at the formal event in a sheer gold Phillipa Lepley gown that would have radiated regal energy when if she hadn't accessorized it with her beloved Queen Mary Lover’s Knot tiara.
Prince William and Kate Middleton at the state banquet at Windsor Castle on Sept. 17, 2025.
Kate definitely looked the part of a future Queen in the gold gown, but longtime royal fans were quick to notice that she also looked the part of a past Queen—the late Queen Elizabeth, to be specific.
As the Daily Mail noted, Kate's state banquet gown "bore an uncanny resemblance" to one that Queen Elizabeth wore to a banquet in honor of then-President George W Bush during his state visit to the U.K. in 2003.
Queen Elizabeth and then-U.S. President George W. Bush at a state banquet in London in 2003.
Kate's state banquet gown served as a perfect modern update of the Queen's 2003 dress and the similarities are so striking that it's hard to imagine the decision was a coincidence. And, if Kate's fashion tribute was deliberate, it's easy to read the move as a signal that the Princess of the Wales plans to model herself after the late monarch when she becomes Queen.
This isn't the first time Kate has drawn comparisons to the late Queen, particularly when it comes to fashion. Royal commentators have noted on several occasions that the Princess of Wales seems to have started adopting some of the former Queen's favorite fashion hacks, like opting for monochromatic looks.
"Like the Queen, Princess Catherine embraces color, using it effectively as a diplomatic gesture to please her adoring public but the similarities don't end there," royal fashion expert Miranda Holder told Newsweek in 2022. "Both adopted the monochromatic look (wearing a single color from head to foot) early in their royal careers which assists in creating an even more striking impression, resulting in them being easily recognizable as themselves."