Princess Diana’s Cannes dress was inspired by this other royal

target="_blank">Cannes film festival is well under way, and for the first time since the pandemic started, celebrities attended in person, wowing us on the red carpet with the latest designer creations.

But while Marion Cotillard, Jodie Turner-Smith and Bella Hadid are all undeniably stylish, one of my favourite Cannes looks ever comes courtesy of the one and only Princess Diana.

The royal attended the ceremony with Prince Charles in 1987, and looked timeless in a pale blue strapless gown, paired with a neck tie.

She accessorised with aquamarine and diamond earrings and bracelets, and finished off her look with metallic heels.

It was designed by Catherine Walker, in collaboration with Princess Diana, who was inspired by another royal: Grace Kelly.

American actress Grace Kelly (1929 – 1982) in a promotional portrait for ‘To Catch A Thief’, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 1955. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

The dress was based on a Grecian number that the actress-turned-royal wore in Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch A Thief. Although you can’t tell from this black and white photo, Grace’s dress was also blue, and the similarities are striking.

Princess Diana and Princess Grace of Monaco actually met in real life in 1981, with the latter allegedly advising Diana on how to handle the pressure of joining a royal family.

Sadly, she died in a car accident in Monaco just a year later.