Eyebrows were raised when Princess Estelle of Sweden stepped out in green tulle last week.
For not only was it a rather grown-up number for an 11-year-old, it was a dress that her mother, Crown Princess Victoria, had worn for a gala dinner last year.
But then royal hand-me-downs are increasingly common in an eco-conscious age, as these pictures show…
Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Estelle of Sweden
Princess Estelle of Sweden, who is second in line to the Swedish throne, stepped out on Thursday wearing a green gown previously worn by her mother, Crown Princess Victoria, 46.
The 11-year-old wore the H&M Conscious Collection gown in green tulle, to Drottningholm Palace Theatre for a jubilee performance in honour of her maternal grandfather, King Carl XVI Gustaf.
The dress was an altered version of the same gown that her mother wore to the Swedish Chamber of Commerce gala dinner in June 2022 in Amsterdam. Estelle paired it with a suite of jewels set with diamonds and peridots along with metallic flats.
Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar of Sweden attend the Jubilee performance of the Royal Opera at Drottningholm Palace Theatre, on September 14
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at the Swedish Chamber of Commerce gala dinner in June 2022
Crown Princess Mary and Princess Isabella of Denmark
Princess Isabella of Denmark, 16, celebrated her confirmation in spectacular style by wearing her mother Crown Princess Mary’s, 51, white pantsuit and Queen Alexandrine’s pearl and diamond brooch.
The teenage Princess, who is currently third in line to the Danish throne after her father and elder brother Christian, wore the Max Mara three-piece in April 2022.
She also wore a pair of pink diamond earrings that belong to the Crown Princess and two ‘Pacific’ rings from Dulong Fine Jewellery, also from her mother’s collection.
Crown Princess Mary wore the outfit in May 2017 during a visit to Stockholm, and again in May 2019 in South Korea.
Princess Isabella of Denmark poses for photos as she attends her confirmation in April 2022
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark pictured during an official visit to Sweden in May 2017
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Lady Louise Windsor
During a visit to Birmingham last year for the Commonwealth Games, Lady Louise wore a £985 Peter Pilotto gown from her mother’s wardrobe and paired it with a pair of classic white trainers.
The number was first worn by the Duchess of Edinburgh, 58, to the Chelsea Flower Show in May 2015 in London.
For the 2019 Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene’s Church at Sandringham, the 19-year-old wore a Stella McCartney coat owned by her mother.
The Marcelline checkered coat was worn by the Countess of Wessex on New Year’s Eve to attend church on the Sandringham estate in 2017.
In the past, Lady Louise has borrowed a classic monochrome dress by Alaïa for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding in 2018.
Sophie had appeared in the same grey and white skater dress in 2016 at The Patron’s Lunch, a celebration connected with Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday.
Lady Louise Windsor at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in August 2022 in Birmingham
Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, attends the annual Chelsea Flower show at Royal Hospital Chelsea in May 2015
For the 2019 Christmas Day service at Sandringham, the 19-year-old (left) wore a Stella McCartney coat owned by her mother (right)
Louise also borrowed a classic monochrome dress by Alaïa for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding in 2018 (left), first worn by her mother in 2016 (right)
Princess Beatrice and Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II lent a Norman Hartnell dress to Princess Beatrice, 35, for her low-key wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in July 2020.
Her Late Majesty had worn the stunning vintage gown to a State dinner for the Italian Prime Minister in Rome in 1961 and to the premiere of Lawrence of Arabia at the Odeon in London’s Leicester Square in 1962.
Small adjustments were made by the monarch’s dresser Angela Kelly and designer Stewart Parvin for Beatrice’s wedding day, including the addition of cap sleeves embroidered with vintage diamantés.
The Queen also loaned Beatrice the Queen Mary Fringe tiara she wore herself when she married Prince Philip in 1947.
Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi pictured in the grounds of the Royal Lodge after their wedding in July 2020
Queen Elizabeth II arrives at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London for the premiere of the film Lawrence of Arabia in 1962
Queen Letizia and Queen Sofia of Spain
Another royal who is no stranger to borrowing her family’s clothes is Queen Letizia of Spain.
She is often seen in vintage outfits belonging to her mother-in-law, Queen Sofia.
Letizia, 51, who is known for recycling her outfits, stepped out in September 2021 in a stunning short-sleeved frock with a floral embroidered bodice and a flared skirt.
Queen Sofía, 82, first debuted the outfit during a trip to Rome, Italy, in 1981.
Looking elegant for the occasion, Letizia appeared to have updated her mother-in-law’s dress with new silver gems on the floral decorations.
Letizia also wore her mother-in-law’s red frock for the National Fashion Awards at the Museo del Traje in Madrid in December 2018.
It was first seen on Queen Sofia in March 1980 during an official visit to Denmark.
In January 2022, Queen Letizia recycled a gown from more than four decades ago after wearing a white, green and pink floral dress first seen on Queen Sofia.
Hosting a diplomatic reception at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Letizia chose the Valentino gown, which featured a sheer bodice embroidered with pink roses and a large green ballgown skirt.
The dress was previously worn by Queen Sofia of Spain in 1977 when she visited Germany with her husband, King Juan Carlos I.
Queen Letizia of Spain at the Royal Palace in September 2021 in Madrid, Spain
Spanish Queen Sofia pictured during her official visit to Italy, Rome, four decades ago in 1981
Letizia (left) wore her mother-in-law’s (right) red frock for the National Fashion Awards at the Museo del Traje in Madrid in December 2018
In January 2022, Queen Letizia (left) recycled a gown from more than four decades ago after wearing a white, green and pink floral dress first seen on Queen Sofia (right)
Queen Maxima and Princess Alexia of The Netherlands
Princess Alexia of the Netherlands proved she has inherited her mother Queen Máxima’s sense of style as she carried out her first solo engagement earlier this month.
The 18-year-old royal, who is second in line to the Dutch throne behind her sister Princess Catharina-Amalia, opted for an elegant navy midi dress as she launched the ship Vox Alexia in Rotterdam.
The Oscar de la Renta number featured cut-out details on the shoulders, a billowing skirt and white and blue ruffles along the long sleeves.
The dress was first worn by her mother, Maxima, 52, in June 2019 at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in The Hague, Netherlands.
Princess Alexia, Christening of the suction dredger Vox Alexia in Rotterdam on September 9
Queen Maxima of The Netherlands at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in the World Forum, The Hague, Netherlands, in June 2019
Crown Princess Victoria and Queen Silvia of Sweden
Not only does Crown Princess Victoria hand down her dresses to her daughter, but she has raided her own mother’s wardrobe in the past.
The 46-year-old wore a vintage Nina Ricci piece for the Nobel Prize banquet at City Hall in Stockholm in December 2018.
It was first seen on Queen Silvia, 79, at the 1995 Nobel Prize banquet event in Stockholm.
Another family ensemble for Victoria included a yellow outfit worn to a seminar in Stockholm in 2017, 39 years after her mother Silvia donned the same look during a visit to Moscow in June 1978.
The Crown Princess wore the striped yellow dress but decided not to include the matching hat seen when her mother wore.
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden attends the Nobel Prize Banquet at Sweden City Hall in December 2018
Queen Silvia of Sweden pictured at the 1995 Nobel Prize banquet event in Stockholm
Another hand-me-down ensemble for Victoria: a yellow outfit worn to a seminar in Stockholm in 2017
Her mother, Queen Silvia, wore the dress in Moscow in 1978
Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Carole Middleton
The Princess of Wales, 41, first wore the £139 Trina from Reiss when she gave her first public speech at The Treehouse children’s hospice in Ipswich, Suffolk, in 2012. She accessorised the dress with a thick black belt.
Her mother, Carole Middleton, 68, had been spotted wearing the same ensemble to Royal Ascot in 2010 – with the addition of a fascinator.
Kate, Princess of Wales, makes her first official speech as a member of the royal family at The Treehouse children’s hospice in Ipswich in March 2012
The Princess’ mother, Carole Middleton, enjoys a day out at Royal Ascot in 2010