Royal watchers know Princess Anne can't resist a good re-wear, often breaking things out of her closet that are decades old—or even pieces once owned by her mother. But on March 17, the Princess Royal proved she's the ultimate sustainable queen by wearing what appears to be a re-worked version of the same brocade dress she wore when she was just 21.
Princess Anne turned to an old favorite look—and a storied pearl choker—for the 2025 International Financial Review dinner at London's Grosvenor House Hotel. The royal, who serves as patron of Save the Children U.K., attended on behalf of the charity—and in a photo shared on X, she's wearing what looks like the gown she wore to accept the 1971 Sportswoman of the Year Award.
The original dress featured silky material that flowed into dramatic bell sleeves, but for her 2025 appearance, the Princess Royal appears to have removed the original sleeve detail to make it slightly less '70s. She also gave the shimmery dress an updated look by draping a rich purple scarf across one shoulder.
This isn't the first time she's brought the outfit back; Anne most recently wore the paisley print for a 2024 dinner for her patronage Leuchie House at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
Along with her throwback fashion, the late Queen's only daughter chose an accessory with a fascinating history. Her sapphire choker, which features four rows of pearls with diamond bars, dates all the way back to the 1890s and another royal family.
According to Maxwell Stone of Steven Stone jewelers, the piece belonged to Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia, "who was photographed wearing it in the 1890s." For those familiar with the Romanovs, Empress Maria was the mother of the last Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II, who was brutally murdered along with his wife and five children in 1918.
Princess Anne's great-grandmother, Queen Mary, eventually acquired the sapphire-and-diamond necklace and left it to her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II, when she died in 1953.
However, "as she rarely wore chokers," the late Queen gave it to her daughter, Anne, "in the early 1970s," Stone explained. The jewelry pro continued that the Princess Royal has only brought it out "for special occasions, including her 50th birthday and Prince William’s wedding gala in 2011."
According to Stone, the stunning necklace is valued at "approximately £200,000" or roughly $260,000.
