The stunning brunette hair of the Princess of Wales has come to be associated with her royal persona just as much as her impeccable wardrobe.
Long-lasting, the ‘Kate effect’ has shaped women’s hairstyles and continued when the royal debuted a new set of face-framing curtain bangs in September of last year.
Being a senior member of the royal family and the future Queen Consort, the Princess hasn’t changed her signature chocolate brown hairstyle much in her 13 years of marriage to Prince William. Instead, she has stayed true to her style over the years.
Photo: © Getty Images
But old photos from Catherine’s early years reveal that the princess once had brilliant blonde hair.
Prior to her idyllic royal wedding to the Prince of Wales in 2011, Michael Middleton, Catherine’s father, posted a number of old pictures of his daughter.
Both Catherine and her younger sister, Pippa, have golden blonde hair in a photo taken of the princess when she was four years old in Jerash, Jordan, with her father Michael and sister.
The natural bleaching of the sun in Jordan, where the royal spent the early years of her childhood growing up, could also have contributed to her windswept blonde locks, which were probably a result of her advanced age.
Photo: © Shutterstock / The Middleton Family
The Princess of Wales’ hair secrets
The Princess of Wales has some of the most captivating hair among all the royals. Ever since Catherine first made her appearance as Prince William’s college sweetheart, fans of the royal family have been envious of her glossy brunette locks and have been curious to know how the princess gets her famously healthy curls.
Experts have provided multiple insights into the Princess of Wales’ hair secrets, ranging from suggestions that she has hair extensions to proof that her hair-thickening highlights give her Rapunzel-like mane depth and dimension.
Photo: © Getty Images
The founder of The Extensionist and expert in hair extensions, Olia Cutz, previously told HELLO! that the royal’s tumbling waves might be the result of a virtually undetectable kind of hair extension.
“If she does have extensions, she could have had individual strands of keratin bonds as you can hide them perfectly and no one will ever see them, even if you wear your hair up,” said Olia.
“Catherine could have easily gotten ultra bonds, or tapes—extremely tiny hair extension strands. They are so subtle that they are very difficult to notice, but they can give length and thickness to any type of hair.”
Michael Gray, the renowned hair stylist for John Frieda, talked to HELLO! about the Princess’ delicate blonde highlights following her most recent appearance.
“The Princess has introduced some subtle highlights in a balayage form to give the illusion of her hair being lighter and brighter for summer,” he said.
“Somewhere along the parting and underneath her neckline, where the highlight pops just a little bit, she’s still maintaining the depth. I adore the arrangement and the way the hair isn’t overly lifted to make it appear bold or remarkably noticeable. Her hair is a soft caramel shade that perfectly balances her skin tone and base color.”