How do you know Kate is paying homage? Does she confide in you?
She may have similar dress, jewelry and it may have or is something similar to what Diana may have worn, but my guess is Kate wears what she does because she likes it.
Of course, Kate doesn't share her dress choices with me either.
As I said, personally I am not focused on whether Kate is 'paying homage' on this occasion or any other occasion. She simply has sometimes worn a style or color similar to something Diana previously wore, and of course, both Kate and Meghan wear pieces of jewelry that belonged to their mother-in-law. I will say that I think it's obvious Kate purposely wore dresses inspired by outfits Diana wore while leaving the Lindo Wing. I think that's especially true for the first outfit Kate wore when leaving the hospital with baby Prince George, and then the most recent red outfit she wore after the birth of Prince Louis. But the royals aren't going to confirm it one way or the other, nor do they need to.
Again, I'm not focused on nor do I care what the article was driveling about. I think the main point is: practically every day (when Kate and Meghan are wearing their engagement rings) the duchesses are wearing jewelry that belonged to Diana PoW. And wow, what an honor that must be. These ladies know better than anyone else exactly how much Diana means to her sons, unsurprisingly. It's simply not a big deal though for anyone who is a royal family member and who actually knew Diana. And I'd say that both Kate and Meghan know Diana much more intimately than the public does, via their husbands' fond memories and recollections.
The media and tabloids will make overdone hay regardless. I'm not even sure what the big deal is about this topic. Kate and Meghan are stylish in their own right. And so was Diana. She's their mother-in-law and all royal ladies likely take note of fashion of the moment, of the past, and of what other fashionable royals are currently doing, while always keeping in mind their own likes and dislikes and what works well for them.
Case in point: Meghan's gown at the Sentebale benefit show was similar to a gown worn by Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, which can mean any number of things from Meghan having seen CPV's gown and liked it and desired something similar, or Meghan's designer, Roland Mouret, was influenced by CPV's gown to make something similar which Meghan saw and had adapted or perhaps the similarities between the gowns are purely coincidental.
The idea that she is running to her closet in the morning and figuring out what to wear, or calling up Meghan to discuss wardrobe choices seems just

to me.
Said who? Your OTT exaggeration on this knows no bounds apparently.

This topic is really a trifle. We simply do not know everything down to the detail about what goes on behind palace walls, unless you are a former royal staffer or a royal insider or an expert on British royal trivia of all kinds. I think some takes are common sense, and then there's overdone ridiculosity.