Princess Anne's waist-cinching Royal Ascot look is her spin on summer 2025's biggest trend

Given her well-known love for horses and the races, it's no surprise that Princess Anne always saves her most magnificent outfits for Royal Ascot.

The Princess Royal is also a famous outfit recycler: if an ensemble works, she brings it back – and one of her most iconic Ascot looks just so happened to be years ahead of the curve.

Ten years ago, the 74-year-old wore a gorgeous, boldly-patterned silk print dress with a high neck, and layered the most incredible coatdress over it.

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It isn't quite butter yellow, but Princess Anne's deeply-coloured mustard piece is a more muted spin on 2025's most trending colour that's much more in keeping with the royal recycler's signature style.

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She accessorised with a hat that featured a pattern on the underside that coordinated beautifully with her dress, a black shoulder bag, and a pair of dark brown suede heels to round off the look.

The Princess Royal has always had a timeless sense of style, so it's always refreshing to see a colour that has been such a staple of her wardrobe take the trending spotlight.

Princess Anne's royal recycling

Unsurprisingly, the wonderful coatdress is a piece that the sister of King Charles has worn outside on a number of occasions before.

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Princess Anne brought out the same coatdress to the races three times: once to the Epsom Derby in 1983, and then twice at Royal Ascot, once in 1991 and once in 2011.

She debuted the coatdress a few years beforehand, at Trooping the Colour in June 1980. Given how long it's been, it's unclear whether she repurchased or replaced it over the years, but the pieces certainly look identical.

Princess Anne's Royal Ascot fashion

For Royal Ascot 2025, the Princess Royal has brought out some of her most excellent looks to date.

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On day two of the event, she brought out a waist-defining silk wrap top that she wore for the first time nearly forty years ago, with a creak skirt suit layered over it – in the outfit's soft colour palette, she looked like a tangerine dream.

Keeping it simple, Princess Anne went for some more muted accessories, which included a cream bow hat and heels.

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For the third day, she wore a cerulean sundress with a pleated front and belted waist, alongside a fabulous fascinator that perfectly coordinated in colour.