By Monica Greep For Mailonline
Published: 05:02 EDT, 27 March 2022 | Updated: 17:18 EDT, 31 March 2022
Kate Middleton has paid homage to the late Princess of Wales by sporting a gown similar to one worn by Diana during her first royal tour.
The Duchess of Cambridge donned a £1,655 belted floral-print peplum dress by Alessandra Rich, as she departed the Bahamas with Prince William following their week-long tour of the Caribbean.
The silk-jacquard gown was strikingly similar to a Jan Van Velden piece worn by Diana during her visit to Alice Springs School on her 1983 tour of Australia with Prince Charles.
Dutch designer Jan Vanvelden was a favourite of Diana, who paired her own silk tea-dress with a white belt and matching cartwheel-style hat and pair of dainty pearl earrings.
Kate Middleton has paid homage to the late Princess of Wales by sporting a gown similar to one worn by Diana during her first royal tour as she attend a departure ceremony in the Bahamas following her week-long tour with Prince William
The silk-jacquard gown was strikingly similar to a Jan Van Velden piece worn by Diana during her visit to Alice Springs School on her 1983 tour of Australia with Prince Charles
In March 1993, the newlywed royal couple and baby Prince William visited Australia's Northern Territory in the Princess of Wales' first overseas tour and first-ever trip abroad at the age of 22.
Like Diana, Kate also paired the look with white leather pumps. The Duchess, 40, wore the 80s-inspired silhouette, featuring bow-detailed ruffled collar, puffed sleeves and a pleated peplum at the waist, with £560 Gianvito Rossi pumps and £3,400 earrings.
The designer intentionally included oversized crystal-embellished buckle and faux pearl buttons in a nod to the decades 'glamorous excess'.
The Duchess donned the same Ferragamo bag during her visit to Jamaica last week, while she first wore the Patrick Mavros earrings in the summer of 2020, having been a longtime fan of the Zimbabwean designer's pieces.
The Duchess of Cambridge donned a £1,655 belted floral-print peplum dress by Alessandra Rich, as she departed the Bahamas with Prince William following their week-long tour of the Caribbean
In March 1993, the newlywed royal couple and baby Prince William visited Australia's Northern Territory in the Princess of Wales' first overseas tour and first-ever trip abroad at the age of 22
Alessandra Rich is also one of the Duchess' favoured labels, with the royal frequently turning to the London-based designer for her royal engagements.
Kate wore the designer's gown as she joined William, 39, at the Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau after enjoying their week-long tour on behalf of the Queen.
It came after the prince admitted he might never succeed the Queen as head of the Commonwealth following the trouble-hit visit to the Caribbean.
In an end-of-tour statement, the Duke addressed the growing republican sentiment and 'colonialism' row the trip had inadvertently highlighted, acknowledging it had 'brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future'.
His week-long trip with Kate, which came to an end last night, has been plagued by public relations gaffes and protests about British colonialism, which led to the endeavour being branded 'tone deaf' to modern sensibilities.
The Duchess donned the same Ferragamo bag during her visit to Jamaica last week. She is pictured with Jamaica's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson-Smith at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston
Kate wore the designer's gown as she joined William, 39, at the Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau after enjoying their week-long tour on behalf of the Queen
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge board a plane at Lynden Pindling International Airport as they depart the Bahamas at the end of their royal tour
Speaking on the penultimate night of their visit, William told guests in the Bahamas, who included the country's prime minister Philip Davis, that whatever the future holds the bonds between the UK and the nations will 'endure'.
The Duke said: 'Next year, I know you are all looking forward to celebrating fifty years of independence - your Golden Anniversary.
'And with Jamaica celebrating 60 years of independence this year, and Belize celebrating 40 years of independence last year, I want to say this:
'We support with pride and respect your decisions about your future. Relationships evolve. Friendship endures.'
Barbados took the historic move of replacing the Queen as head of state in November, and elected its first president during a ceremony witnessed by the Prince of Wales.
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