The Duchess of Cambridge never met her mother-in-law, but that hasn’t stopped her from following in Princess Diana’s fashion footsteps.
Like Diana 30 years before her, Catherine is transforming her personal style, ditching her trademark conservative dresses in favour of sexy new numbers.
Catherine’s glamorous makeover was particularly evident when she attended a gala at London’s Royal Albert Hall this week.
In pictures: Kate bares her back in sheer dress
The crowd let out an audible gasp as the duchess stepped out onto the red carpet, with her hair pulled back into a sophisticated chignon and her slender back on show in a daring sheer dress.
“She is becoming more and more confident, which I think is exciting to see,” Queen Elizabeth’s couturier Stewart Parvin, who also designed Zara Phillips’ wedding gown, told People magazine.
“The way she does her hair, the way she does her makeup is getting better and better and she has this new inner glow.”
Catherine famously does her own makeup — even for her own wedding last year — and shuns stylists, choosing her own clothes.
She also refuses to accept gifts from designers to ensure her look is entirely her own.
In pictures: Princess Diana’s royal makeover
Diana underwent a similar transformation when she joined the royal family in 1981, going from dowdy girl-next-door to international style icon.
Your say: Do you admire Kate for shunning stylists and make-up artists in favour of doing it herself?
Video: Kate brings her puppy to watch William and Harry play polo
