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Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales attends day 12 of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2021 in London, England. © WireImage

Princess Kate debuts a 'holiday hair' transformation - and it went under the radar

The royal's hair looked lighter after her holiday...

Laura Sutcliffe
Fashion and Beauty News Editor
4 days ago
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The Princess of Wales and heR long mane of hair are the stuff dreams are made of. Women everywhere are in awe of her beautiful head of thick, full chestnut hair, which the royal has kept the same for many years - loose and glossy.

Kate MIddleton's natural hair
The Princess of Wales has amazing hair

Kate has never had a dramatic hair change, choosing to retain the chocolate brown hues she is known for. 

But we did notice last month, when she headed to watch the rugby and also on a trip to Wales, that her locks seemed a lot lighter.

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It was a subtle changing of colour, and the mother of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis's hair had gentle highlights, which often occur when your hair is subjected to copious amounts of sunshine.

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Prince William and Kate Middleton by some flowers© Alamy Stock Photo

This would make sense as the Wales family reportedly headed to the Caribbean island of Mustique for the February half term, according to the Mail on Sunday.

Catherine, Princess of Wales wears a red coat during a visit to Pontypridd Market on February 26, 2025 in Pontypridd, Wales. © Getty Images

Sun exposure often lightens the hair due to the sun's ultraviolet rays changing its natural pigment. It kind of zaps the hair of its regular colour and makes it appear lighter. Kate also looked a little tanned in Cardiff, which was post-holiday.

Kate Middleton stuns in jeans and a white shirt in new portrait released on 43rd birthday© Matt Porteous

Princess Kate's 2025 parting

At the start of January, Kate turned 43 and released a stunning birthday portrait in celebration. Taken by Matt Porteous, it showed the super chic Princess, sporting a classic outfit, consisting of skinny jeans, a white shirt, a black blazer and a statement scarf.

 Catherine, Princess of Wales, hat detail, attends the celebrations for Commonwealth Day at Westminster Abbey© Getty Images

Fans were quick to notice that her famous brunette mane looked longer and in better condition than ever.

woman smiling in brown blazer© Alamy Stock Photo

Professional hairstylist Tom Pike confirmed the change in her tresses, telling HELLO!:

"Essentially, Kate has upgraded the style known as the 'Hollywood wave'. To achieve this, you would use either a smoothing cream or a nice blow-dry spray. Blow dry your hair smooth, then using a large barrel wand, twist the hair around the tool, taking slightly thicker sections as you work. Once this is done, gently brush it out."

Catherine, Princess Of Wales visits an 'Action For Children' mother and baby unit at HMP Styal, a prison and young offender institution, near Wilmslow on February 11, 2025 in Wilmslow, England.© Getty Images

Tom, who counts Lily James as one of his celebrity clients, added: "The way that Kate's done it is slightly differently; she's parted her hair at the back and then pushed it forward, so it looks like you've got that real, I call it a 'royal wave', but it just looks like you've got that real deep wave in the hair. It's beautiful."

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