The Princess Royal broke out a piece that she first wore to a movie premiere at age 18

Princess Anne(Left) Princess Anne arrives to attend a state banquet in St. George’s Hall at Windsor Castle on March 18, 2026l (Right) Princess Anne attends a premiere on June 4, 1969.Credit : Henry Nicholls – WPA Pool/Getty; Keystone Press / Alamy

Princess Anne reached deep in her closet for her Nigerian state banquet style, sporting a piece that’s been in her royal wardrobe since she was a teenager.

On March 18, the Princess Royal stepped out with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, to join King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton and more members of the royal family for the state banquet at Windsor Castle celebrating the state visit from Nigeria.

Princess Anne, 75, shimmered in the Meander Tiara, also called the Greek Key Tiara, and added more sparkle with diamond earrings and a matching necklace, but her white coat made the fashion splash.

​The Princess Royal’s long cream coat dress, which featured a collar and cut-out detail on the sleeves, was actually a rewear from 1969.

Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and the Princess Royal ahead of the state banquet for President of Nigeria Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on the first day of State Visit by The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on March 18, 2026 in Windsor, England.

Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and the Princess Royal ahead of the state banquet for President of Nigeria Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu at Windsor Castle on March 18, 2026.Aaron Chown-WPA Pool/Getty

In June 1969, an 18-year-old Princess Anne broke out the coat to attend the premiere of the film Run Wild, Run Free in London.

A glamorous young Anne stepped out for the event, which benefited the Textiles Benevolent Association, and donned the cream jacket at the Odeon Theatre in Leicester Square.

She paired it then with a coordinating dress that had the same cut-out pattern around the neckline and hem, completing the look with a voluminous braided bouffant (a hot trend for the time then!), dangling earrings and gloves.

Princess Anne

Princess Anne receives a bouquet of flowers at the premiere of “Run Free, Run Wild” at Odeon Theatre in London in June 1969.Keystone-France\Gamma-Rapho via Getty

Anne seemed to have made a change to one aspect of the jacket, however, for her state banquet style.

The cream coat had a high, round neckline when she wore it in the 1960s, but it was modernized with a pointed Peter Pan collar when she wore it on Wednesday.

Sir Timothy Lawrence, Catherine Princess of Wales Prince William, Prince of Wales and Princess Anne, Princess Royal arrive to attend a State Banquet in St George's Hall on day one of their state visit to the UK at Windsor Castle on March 18, 2026 in Berkshire, England.

Sir Timothy Laurence, Kate Middleton, Prince William and Princess Anne arrive to attend a State Banquet in St. George’s Hall on day one of the Nigerian state visit to the UK at Windsor Castle on March 18, 2026.Henry Nicholls – WPA Pool/Getty

King Charles’ sister is known for her no-nonsense approach to royal duty, often ranked among the “hardest-working members” of the royal family by count of official engagements, and seems to hold her clothes to the same standard!

The Princess Royal is known to repeat clothes from decades ago and has even stuck with the same hairstyle, underscoring that she knows what works for her.