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Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Lifestyle
Kristin Contino

Princess Anne Manages to Be Right on Trend for Summer 2026 in a Butter Yellow Gown She First Wore in 1984

Princess Anne in a yellow dress.

No-fuss Princess Anne always manages to look effortlessly elegant, and she could teach the trend-obsessed out there a thing or two about reaching into your own closet. The Princess Royal beat the stifling U.K. heat in a butter yellow gown while attending a dinner for the centenary celebration of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners—and her floral dress still fit perfectly, despite being nearly as old as her middle-aged children.

Princess Anne originally wore the Edwardian-inspired yellow gown during a 1984 trip to Gambia, and the floaty, tiered design with a pink floral print appeared just as stunning as it did four decades ago. Like she did in the ‘80s, the Princess Royal paired her dress with white satin gloves.

In a video of her arrival, Anne’s knee-high stockings peek out from under the slit in the gown—and with temperatures soaring in the high nineties in London, it’s no wonder she didn’t want to wear tights.

Princess Anne wears a yellow gown during a 1984 trip to Gambia. (Image credit: Getty Images)
The Princess Royal wears a pearl statement necklace with her dress in 1984. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Princess Anne arriving at a dinner in London in a yellow dress

A photo posted by on

For her 2026 appearance, Princess Anne accessorized with a pair of pearl stud earrings, ivory pumps and a coordinating clutch.

This is the second time in recent weeks the Princess Royal has stepped out in a trendy butter yellow ensemble, choosing the color when her son Peter Phillips married Harriet Sperling on June 6. She also pulled out a major re-wear for the event, choosing a floral print dress she wore in the eighties and the same yellow hat she wore to her daughter Zara Tindall's christening in 1981.

Anne has dipped into her extensive wardrobe on many occasions over the years, like when she wore a bedazzled ivory coat from 1969 to the Nigerian state banquet in March 2026 or the cream and orange skirt suit she wore to Royal Ascot 2025...and Trooping the Colour 1987. Drop the closet storage system, please.

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