The Crown‘s costume design team was right on the money when it came to re-creating some of Princess Diana’s most memorable looks for actress Emma Corrin – including her Elizabeth and David Emanuel-designed wedding dress, of course. But the outfit similarities trickle down to the accessories, too. Some might know that it’s thanks to Diana that the Dior Lady Bag is so iconic. That purse, alongside Salvatore Ferragamo’s Lady D design, was named for her!
Diana did keep those luxury items in heavy rotation during the late ’80s and early ’90s, but costume designer Amy Roberts also chose to pay tribute to some of Diana’s simpler designs in the Netflix series. It’s true; after watching season four of The Crown, you’ll probably wonder whether Diana did carry a brown leather shoulder bag and white envelope clutch. The answer is yes – and we’re here to give you proof. Ahead, find some of the best comparisons we were able to make between the bags worn by Emma on The Crown and the styles Diana wore in real life. We even confirmed the exact dates the late royal accessorized her looks with these bags, so you know around the time she favorited them in her own wardrobe.
Related: 8 Celebrities Who've Channeled Princess Diana’s Style Perfectly
Getty / Tim Graham
Princess Diana's Metallic Clutch
Diana did, in fact, pair a similar clutch with her gown on the red carpet.
Getty / Tim Graham
Princess Diana's Metallic Clutch
Princess Diana also brought along that same silver metallic clutch to a fashion show in London that raised funds for Birthright in 1982.
Getty / Princess Diana Archive
Princess Diana's Metallic Clutch
Diana’s 1983 evening gown was jazzed up by yet another metallic clutch, this one with quilted texture, at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Getty / Anwar Hussein
Princess Diana's White Shoulder Bag
Diana’s most similar shape that we could find is seen here, worn with a casual white shirtdress for a visit to Ayers Rock during a tour of Australia in 1983.
Getty / Tim Graham
Princess Diana's White Shoulder Bag
Diana also owned this more structural version, which she paired with a powder-blue suit and pumps in 1995 (we see you over there, Prince Harry!).
Getty / John Shelley Collection/Avalon
Princess Diana's White Shoulder Bag
Diana also owned plenty of envelope-style bags, and the one she brought on her visit to Thailand in 1988 came equipped with a convenient crossbody strap.
Getty / Georges De Keerle
Princess Diana's Brown Leather Shoulder Bag
Here’s Diana walking down the street in 1982 wearing what is perhaps her most similar bag.
Getty / Tim Graham
Princess Diana's Black Box Clutch With Gold Hardware
Diana wore her most similar minaudière with an LBD and pearl-and-diamond drop earrings to the premiere of 1995’s Apollo 13 in London.
Getty / Princess Diana Archive
Princess Diana's Black Box Clutch With Gold Hardware
Diana also owned this square design with an envelope flap, which she carried to a concert in 1988 while wearing a polka-dot pussy-bow blouse.
Getty / Princess Diana Archive
Princess Diana's White Envelope Clutch
This modest blue look, finished with a white leather fold-over clutch, was worn during Diana’s 1983 tour of Australia and perhaps best mirrors the one Corrin wears on The Crown.
Getty / Princess Diana Archive
Princess Diana's White Envelope Clutch
Diana also owned a white leather clutch with a scalloped edge, seen here with the feminine outfit she wore to her first Ascot meeting with the royal family in 1981.
