Princess Beatrice surprised royal watchers when she and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi announced their baby news via the Queen's official Twitter account on Wednesday.
And it seems the royal mum-to-be took inspiration from her cousin-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge, for concealing her pregnancy news and growing baby bump until the time felt right to announce.
MORE: Kate Middleton launched a new fashion trend we didn't see coming
Beatrice's last appearance was at the weekend, when she was spotted driving around Windsor with her mum Sarah, Duchess of York in the front passenger seat. She has also been pictured enjoying dinner out in Mayfair with her husband various times, sipping on a glass of wine and avoiding form-fitting clothing.
WATCH: Princess Beatrice expecting first baby!
But before that, her last official, high-profile appearance was about a month ago at Prince Philip's funeral in Windsor. Beatrice, 32, looked stunningly demure for the sombre event, hiding any signs of a bump under her black coat, which featured a belted, cinched-in waist.
MORE: Prince Charles and Camilla react to Princess Beatrice's baby news
Her long hair, which flowed down past her waist, was styled into a high ponytail and had gorgeous waves in it. It was hard not to miss Beatrice's incredibly chic long hairstyle and it was perhaps this change in appearance that distracted fans from any signs of her pregnancy news.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrincess Beatrice distracted fans last month with her incredible hairstyle
Beatrice's cousin Kate liked to use this nifty hair trick whenever she was about to announce her baby news with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. The Duchess would often switch up her hair before the official announcement was made, from going for a dramatic chop or dyeing her locks.
She would also experiment with different hairstyles, swapping her signature Chelsea blow dry for a half-up, half-down look or opting for tighter curls.
© Photo: Getty ImagesKate always switched up her hairstyles and lengths when she was about to announce a pregnancy
Apart from drawing attention away from her figure and to her hair, it seems there is another reason behind Kate's thinking. Hairstylist Paul Edmonds previously told HELLO! that his biggest tip for new mums or pregnant women is to chop off a few inches, saying: "To combat any potential thinning of the hair, I always like to advise my clients, who are expectant mums, to take the hair shorter and blunter to reduce the strain on the remaining hair."
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