Kate MIddleton's natural hair

Princess Kate's rarely-seen curls: 5 times the royal rocked her natural hair

We wonder whether the Princess of Wales follows the curly girl method...

Senior Lifestyle & Fashion Writer
April 23, 2024

When a young Kate Middleton fell in love with her flatmate Prince William at St Andrews University, little did she know her hair was also gearing up for a royal transformation. 

The Princess of Wales' glossy, tumbling curls have long been the envy of royal fans. The royal's hair secrets have kept the public transfixed ever since her wedding day, with some experts even suggesting that hair extensions are the only answer behind her real-life Rapunzel locks. 

From elegant up-dos to choppy curls and sleek, glossy waves, rarely does Princess Kate leave the house without her signature blow-dry in check. 

HELLO! revisits the handful of times Princess Kate's rarely-seen natural waves have shown their true coils…

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The post-wedding curls, 2011

In 2011, shortly after their fairytale wedding, Prince William and Princess Kate ventured across the pond as part of their Royal Tour of Canada in their former roles as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. 

Sporty Kate couldn't help but get involved when it came to practising watersports in Charlottetown, especially when the opportunity arose to race her husband in a dragon boat race. 

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Rain, salt water and a brisk ocean breeze left the royal's glossy brunette locks coiled in tight, wispy curls - a rare insight into the Princess' pre-blowdry situation.  

The island waves, 2013

One unearthed photograph taken during Prince William and Princess Kate’s post-wedding era shows that not even the future Queen can handle the effects of humidity on her hair.

Rewind to 17 September 2013, when the royal couple visited Tuvanipipu Island as part of their Diamond Jubilee tour of the Far East. 

Faced with the elements of tropical island weather, the then-Duchess of Cambridge’s normally sleek and glossy mane had become voluminous and wavy, giving royal fans an extremely rare glimpse of Kate’s natural curls.

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Princess Kate's windswept hair, 2013

Shortly after the birth of her first son, Prince George, the Princess of Wales made her first postpartum public appearance at the Ring O'Fire Anglesey Coastal Ultra Marathon in north Wales. 

The royal's thick brunette tresses quickly formed ringlets when the Welsh wind and rain hit them. We think the Princess suits the wild child aesthetic. 

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The beachy hair waves, 2022

The humidity was no match for the Princess chocolate-hued mane when she travelled to Hopkins, a small village on the coast of Belize which is considered to be cultural centre of the Garifuna community.

© Chris Jackson,Getty Images

The heat caused the royal's normally sleek hair to form beautiful, dainty curls and kinks that added to her bold, beachy aesthetic.

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Princess Kate's post-sailing hair, 2022

The Princess of Wales showed off her athletic prowess when she joined Sir Ben Ainslie's Team GBR at the Sail GP in Plymouth. 

Salt water and wind soon whipped the royal's Hollywood curls into a tumbling, textured ponytail. Just look at the length!

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