Princess Beatrice Wears Back-to-Back Patterned Summer Dresses at Cannes Lions Festival 

The royal looked like a vintage star alongside Jessica Alba and other influential attendees.

Princess Beatrice of York poses at Journal House for a discussion about emotional intelligence in the age of artificial intelligence with Spotify on June 17, 2024 in Cannes, France.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Princess Beatrice is bringing back a vintage summer look at this year's Cannes Lions Festival.

On Monday, June 17, while attending Spotify’s intimate evening of music and culture featuring a performance from John Legend at Cannes Lions, the royal stepped out in a polka dot shirt dress from Crida Milano featuring puffed sleeves, a sharp open collar and a skater-style skirt.

King Charles' niece updated the vintage look with a raffia belt featuring an oversized wood buckle from Sezane. She paired the outfit with a raffia crossbody bag from Mark Cross' collaboration with Aerin and Yvette slingback ballerina flats from Pretty Ballerinas.

Princess Beatrice posed in her vintage Hollywood look alongside actress and entrepreneur Jessica Alba, Dustee Jenkins, the Chief Public Affairs Officer at Spotify, and British actor Jay Shetty.

Jessica Alba, Dustee Jenkins, Chief Public Affairs Officer, Spotify, Jay Shetty and Princess Beatrice of York and attend Spotify’s intimate evening of music and culture featuring a performance from John Legend at Cannes Lions 2024 on June 17, 2024 in Cannes, France.

Jessica Alba, Dustee Jenkins, Chief Public Affairs Officer, Spotify, Jay Shetty and Princess Beatrice of York and attend Spotify’s intimate evening of music and culture featuring a performance from John Legend at Cannes Lions 2024 on June 17, 2024 in Cannes, France.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

On the same day, Princess Beatrice switched it up with another patterned look—this time opting for a peach satin wrap dress from Sandro. The royal stepped out in the printed Enrika midi dress featuring a dropped ruffled hem while sitting on a panel at The Wall Street Journal's Journal House, discussing the importance of cultivating and maintaining emotional intelligence as artificial intelligence continues to gain popularity.

Princess Beatrice completed her second back-to-back patterned dress look with the same Pretty Ballerinas flats.

The princess attended the event not just as a member of the royal family, but also as the founder of BY-EQ, an advisory organization focused on emotional intelligence in an age of artificial intelligence. Princess Beatrice is also the vice president of partnerships and strategy at Afiniti, a software company.

Clearly, the royal wears many figurative and literal hats.

Princess Beatrice of York poses at Journal House for a discussion about emotional intelligence in the age of artificial intelligence with Spotify on June 17, 2024 in Cannes, France.

Princess Beatrice of York poses at Journal House for a discussion about emotional intelligence in the age of artificial intelligence with Spotify on June 17, 2024 in Cannes, France.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

While reports indicate that Princess Beatrice becoming a working royal is "out of the question"—and despite many members of the royal family taking on a more public-facing role in the wake of both King Charles and Princess Kate's cancer diagnoses—the royal has certainly stepped up her fashion game.

In June, the princess "elevated a few eternal closet staples while out and about in London," Marie Claire previously reported, at one point pairing a a classic white button-down shirt with a pleated gray maxi skirt. Princess Beatrice completed the updated look with a pair of two-tone ballet flats and a top-handle bag with a detachable crossbody strap.

She also upgraded her style while attending a royal garden party by pairing a pink dress with a matching headband.

Danielle Campoamor
Weekend Editor

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.