The Duchess of Cambridge Channels Princess Diana on Royal Tour of Pakistan

Layla Ilchi

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The Duchess of Cambridge is looking to Princess Diana for style inspiration on her trip to Pakistan.

On the five-day tour with Prince William, Kate Middleton has worn many looks that channel outfits Princess Diana chose for her visits to Pakistan in the Nineties, including pieces by designer brand Catherine Walker, who regularly dressed the late Princess.

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When arriving on Oct. 14 at the Pakistani Air Force Base Nur Khan outside of Islamabad, the Duchess wore a traditional Pakistani shalwar kameez dress in ombré blue custom-designed by Catherine Walker. Many on social media have compared the look to that of Princess Diana’s during a visit to Pakistan in 1996, where she wore a light blue, button-up tunic over pants.

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Catherine de Cambridge y Diana de Gales. #royalty #royal #royals #royaltyreport #royalfamily #realeza #instaroyals #royalnews #princessdiana #ladydi #katemiddleton #catherineofcambridge #duchessofcambridge

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As royal tours are geared to strengthen the relationship between the U.K. and its 53 commonwealth nations, the tour of Pakistan will highlight issues like climate change, education, female empowerment and the nation’s youth, among others. The royal couple met with prime minister, Imran Khan, on Oct. 15, who was a friend of Princess Diana.

While embracing Pakistani designers, Middleton is continuing to channel Princess Diana with her looks, wearing a blue kurta designed by Maheen Khan, which many have compared to a number of looks Princess Diana wore during her visits to Pakistan, including a floral blue kurta she wore during a visit to a Lahore hospital in 1997.

On the fourth day of their royal tour of Pakistan, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge visited the Badshahi mosque in Lahore, the same mosque that Princess Diana visited during a visit in 1991. Middleton again looked to Maheen Khan for her look, a turquoise shalwar kameez and matching headscarf.

The Duke and Duchess kicked off their tour in Islamabad, visiting the Islamabad Model College for Girls where the royals met with students part of the Teach for Pakistan program. They later visited Margalla Hills where they met with schoolchildren from four local schools and took part in activities meant to educate on environmental protection.

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On the first full day of their visit to Pakistan, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s first engagements in Islamabad championed the importance of quality education, and highlighted how girls benefit from pursuing higher education and professional careers. At Islamabad Model College for Girls, The Duke and Duchess heard how students are benefiting from the ‘Teach for Pakistan’ programme. @TeachforPakistan is a fast-track training programme modelled on the successful @TeachFirstUK scheme, which is focused on improving the quality of teaching in schools which serve families from disadvantaged backgrounds. Carrying on the theme of education, The Duke and Duchess visited the Margalla Hills, which sit in the foothills of the Himalayas. There, they joined children from four local schools for activities taking part in activities designed to educate young people on environmental protection and wildlife conservation. This included helping the children identify and remove species of plants that are threatening the natural environment, bird watching, and storytelling on local environment issues. 📷 Kensington Palace #RoyalVisitPakistan #Pakistan

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Oct 15, 2019 at 4:31am PDT

The royal couple is traveling without their three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — and will be visiting the capital of Islamabad, the city of Lahore, the northern countryside and regions to the west of the country.

Click through the above gallery to see photos of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their royal tour of Pakistan.

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