The Princess Royal has stayed true to her style for decades, but fans got a glimpse of how her fashion choices have subtly changed in front of our eyes.

For day two of Royal Ascot, Princess Anne joined the likes of Prince Edward, Duchess Sophie, Zara and Mike Tindall, and Prince William, after his wife Princess Kate pulled out of the event at the last minute. 

Ever a fan of repeating outfits, Anne looked like a tangerine dream as she stepped out in a silk wrap top she first wore almost four decades ago. Anne layered the bold orange waist-defining blouse underneath a cream skirt suit with a matching apricot trim, finishing her look with muted accessories including a cream bow hat and heels. 

Despite soaring temperatures reaching 27 degrees, Anne kept her cream leather gloves on, staying true to a long-standing royal fashion hack.

Her mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, also followed suit with her year-round gloves, which could be for health reasons.

"If you're the Queen, you’re shaking a lot of hands, so they protect her hands," explained Genevieve James, Creative Director of luxury glovemaker Cornelia James.

Princess Anne doesn't often wear orange – a colour known for promoting warmth and sociability – which is why her previous outings have been so memorable. 

She first debuted this cream skirt suit for Trooping the Colour in 1987, but she opted for different accessories. A small white and orange hat and a pearl choker completed her outfit, while she opted for a more wide-brimmed hat with the same ensemble for a visit to Chelsea Royal Hospital in 2008.

Four years later, in 2012, Anne celebrated her late mother's Diamond Jubilee in a more attention-grabbing orange headpiece, in line with Pantone's Colour of the Year, 'Tangerine Tango'.

She chose to forego a hat altogether in 2015, keeping all eyes on her skirt suit as she attended the Centenary Annual Meeting of the National Federation of Women's Institute.

With access to the world's most coveted designers and fashion houses, the royal family's devotion to sustainable fashion is more than impressive. 

When Anne was asked why she chooses to recycle outfits, the Princess told Vanity Fair in 2020: "Because I'm quite mean."

She added: "I still try and buy materials and have them made up because I just think that's more fun. It also helps to support those who still manufacture in this country. We mustn't forget we've got those skills, and there are still places that do a fantastic job."