Ahead of her return to royal duties, the Duchess of Cambridge, née Kate Middleton, debuted a newshorter hairstyle with a fringeat the weekend. The 33-year-old was pictured along with husband Prince William as they arrived for Sunday morning prayers at Crathie Kirk in Scotland – the first time she has been seen in public for two months.Wearing a black rollneck jumper under a brown coat, Kate gave a glimpse of her new cut as she arrived at the church from Balmoral Castle, where she and William are staying with Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
The Duchess debuted her new fringe as she attended church on Sunday morning
The last time the stylish royal was photographed was seven weeks ago, when she attended the America's Cup World Series in Portsmouth on 26 July.Prince Charles also attended the Sunday service at Crathie Kirk, which the royal family regularly visit while holidaying at Balmoral.On Wednesday night, William and Kate dined with the Queen in celebration of her becoming Britain's longest reigning monarch. It is thought that during their stay in Scotland, the Duchess will also receive the Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II – the highest honour that can be bestowed upon a female member of the royal family.The Order she is tipped to receive is given to female royals directly from the Queen and serves as a personal memento rather than a state decoration, although it can be worn during state occasions.Because there is no formal announcement regarding whether the honour has been bestowed, royal watchers will have to wait until Kate's expected attendance at next month's state dinner for China's President Xi Jinping to see whether she will be wearing it.
Prince William and his wife were pictured arriving at Crathie Kirk from Balmoral
The Duchess is set to end her maternity leave this week, as she embarks on a series of solo engagements as part of a busy autumn programme of royal duties. On 17 September, she will pay a visit to the Anna Freud Centre, before reportedly joining her husband and Prince Harry at the opening ceremony of the Rugby World Cup, which kicks off at Twickenham on Friday. Kate will also attend a charities' forum event in October and will make trips to Dundee and North Wales with Prince William.It will be the first time that the royal couple will be juggling their parental duties and royal events with the Duke’s job as a helicopter pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance.William and Kate have kept a relatively low-profile since welcoming daughter Princess Charlotte on 2 May – although in August they publicly issued a warning to the paparazzi demanding privacy for their two young children.