Cristiano Ronaldo’s Love Georgina Rodriguez Revives Princess Diana’s Met Gala Dress

Georgina Rodríguez made her Met Gala debut in New York on Monday, May 5, with a slip dress that recalled Princess Diana‘s legendary 1996 look from her first turn on fashion’s biggest night.

It marked the only time that the late Princess of Wales (or any British royal before her or since) had attended the annual affair. However, Diana’s slinky John Galliano for Dior dress made history as one of the most memorable looks to ever grace the famous steps at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (it even went on display in 2009 at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London).

For her part, Rodríguez, 31, entrusted the French luxury label Vetements with creating her custom look, which featured the same lace negligée-esque trim and languid silhouette.

Like Diana, Rodríguez’s own high-profile relationship with Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo is what catapulted her onto the global stage. (The couple recently announced their engagement in April and share two children together: Alana Martina, 7, and Bella Esmerelda, 3.)

Since Rodríguez began dating Ronaldo in 2016, she has made a name for herself in fashion, working with designers including Gucci, Prada and Chanel. She also stars on the Netflix reality series I Am Georgina and has amassed over 66 million Instagram followers and counting.

Rodríguez’s decision to pay homage to Princess Diana’s Met Gala look could be seen as a savvy PR move to keep the spotlight on her red-carpet style. Notably, Rodríguez attended without her fiancé and instead arrived on the arm of Vetements designer Guram Gvasalia.

In Princess Diana’s case, her wardrobe had long been scrutinized, dictated by royal protocol and the weight of monarchy. However, those rules no longer applied following her recent divorce from King Charles in 1996, which became official four months prior to the night of the gala.

Princess Diana used the opportunity to serve the ultimate fashion flex by commissioning Galliano to create a custom version of a midnight-blue dress from his first collection for Dior.

Galliano’s dress originally had a corset, but the designer recently revealed that Princess Diana altered it herself at the last minute without letting him know before she arrived at the museum.

“She’d ripped the corset out. She didn’t want to wear the corset,” because she “felt so liberated,” he said in the 2024 docuseries, In Vogue: The ’90s. “The dress was much more… sensuous.”

For her part, Rodríguez’s bespoke Vetements black satin slip was also one of the sexier looks on the 2025 Met Gala red carpet, as this year’s theme was inspired by menswear. However, the “Tailored for You” dress code also encouraged guests to embrace looks that reflected their style.

The spring 2025 costume exhibition celebrates refined tailoring and extravagant accessories, much like the sapphire-and-pearl choker Princess Diana wore to the Met Ball in 1996 and the massive canary-yellow diamond necklace by Chopard that Rodríguez donned on Monday night.

Rodríguez added another layer of grandeur to her gown with a long train. Considering Princess Diana famously chose a record-breaking train for her royal wedding in 1981, it’s safe to assume she’d approve of the alteration, which looked nothing short of regal on the Met Gala red carpet.