Oh Anne! You look a right Charlie in that: Princess Royal channels Chaplin in look at Gatcombe Horse Trials

• .Princess Royal, 62, joined her daughter Zara Phillips who was riding in the trials

By LARISA BROWN

When it comes to fashion, Princess Anne has always been very much her own woman. 

But it seems she may have drawn on a little Hollywood inspiration for her outfit at the Gatcombe Horse Trials over the weekend. 

Unfortunately for Anne, she appeared to have followed in the footsteps of Charlie Chaplin in her rather unusual choice.

Uncanny: Princess Anne's casual androgynous look (left) bore a striking resemblance to Charlie Chaplin's trademark tattered suit (right)

The Princess Royal, 62, was resplendent in a blue and grey striped hat, a navy blue blazer, striped shirt, blue chinos and leather loafers.

And when she leaned on an umbrella, the likeness to the Little Tramp star of the silent movie era was complete.

 

More...

• Zara Phillips shows a hint of her growing baby bump at horse trial as new dad William joins Harry for charity polo match and admits: 'I'll be picking up nappies on the way home'
• Call me Grandpa! Prince Charles reveals how he wants Prince George to address him - as Camilla says she'll be GaGa

She did, however, show off a dazzling smile, something of a rarity for the usually stern Anne. 

She joined her daughter, Zara Phillips, who was riding her horse High Kingdom at the trials on Saturday.

Family affair: The Princess Royal joined her daughter Zara Phillips, who was riding in the Gatcombe Horse Trials

Zara, 32, who is expecting her first baby with husband Mike Tindall, rode dressage for a panel of judges in a ‘guinea pig’ trial designed to help them mark the riders. 

Zara’s appearance came after she decided to give up competitive riding for the remainder of her pregnancy.

Princess Anne is known for being the thriftiest member of the Royal Family and is a keen recycler of outfits.

Time for a cull? Princess Anne is notoriously spendthrift and has often broken fashion's first rule of only wearing an outfit once. She first wore this outfit in 1990 (left) and it reappeared 20 years later in 2010 (right)

She recently appeared in a yellow hat that she had first worn to Zara’s christening. 

So if the hat she wore to the horse trials looked a little battered around the edges, there is no doubt it has probably had quite a bit of wear before.

When asked once about her thriftiness with clothes, the princess explained that the Queen, something of a style icon herself, had brought her up not to be wasteful.