Ever since Kate Middleton began dating Prince William in college, we’ve been obsessed with her shiny, beautiful hair. Just like us, the Princess of Wales has made quite a few tweaks to her look since then. Here, a complete timeline of Kate Middleton’s hair.
Behold Kate Middleton’s Hair Transformation from 2005 to Today
2005: The Blowout, Version 1
On the day of Princess Catherine and Prince William’s official graduation from St. Andrew’s University in Scotland, she showed off the prototype for what would become her signature hairstyle.
2010: The Iconic Hairdo Is Born
When announcing her engagement to Prince William, the soon-to-be royal introduced a more polished version of her go-to look: a sleek bouncy blowout with rounded ends and an occasional slight curtain bang.
2011: Here Comes The Bride
Few things are more iconic than her deep brown color and laid-back bridal half-up-half-down ’do at her 2011 wedding to Prince William at Westminster Abbey in London.
2012: Natural Hair Don’t Care
The Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall accompanied her husband on a Diamond Jubilee tour, representing Queen Elizabeth in Singapore, Malaysia, Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands in 2012. During a visit to Tuvanipupu Island, she showed off her natural curls on a low-key canoe ride.
2012: She Bangs
In the early days of her pregnancy with Prince George, the Princess of Wales drew attention away from her nascent bump by rocking curtain bangs and longer than usual tresses.
2013: Prince George’s Arrival
Duchess Catherine looked radiant with long straight locks upon welcoming her firstborn, Prince George, outside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital on July 23, 2013.
2015: Charlotte’s Big Debut
To introduce Princess Charlotte to the world, the Princess of Wales stuck to her go-to sleek bouncy blowout. She and Prince William offered the world their first glimpse at the little princess outside the Lindo Wing on May 2, 2015.
2017: A Fake Bob
She stunned us all when she wore her hair pinned up in a faux bob at the Remembrance Sunday service in November 2017.
2018: A Real Bob
It seems that Princess Catherine must have liked her temporary bob, since the Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall opted to actually cut her hair into a curly bob before Prince Louis’s arrival. Spoiler alert: It looked amazing.
2018: Back To Chocolate Brown
After Prince Louis’s arrival, she returned to her oldie but goodie go-to—a chocolate brown mid-length blowout—from late 2018 onward.
2019: Rich Caramel Brown
When Princess Catherine stepped out in sparkly Cinderella pumps at an Action on Addiction dinner event, we couldn’t help but notice her usually chocolate brown hair had a lighter, caramel tint to it and even more volume than usual.
2019: Sun-kissed Summer ’Do
The Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall debuted her brighter new look with (gasp!) highlights at the King's Cup Regatta. It appears she swapped out her usually chocolate brown locks for a new honey brown color with a shorter version of her bouncy-layered blowout.
2020: The Bangs Are Back
After donning highlighted, relatively long locks for the latter half of 2019, Princess Catherine switched things up and returned to her medium golden-brown roots. At a UK-Africa Investment Summit reception at Buckingham Palace in late January 2020, the Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall debuted freshly cut bangs and pumped up the volume on her signature curls.
2020: Hello, Lob
For the 2020 royal tour of Ireland, the Princess of Wales opted to cut her hair even shorter for a straight-up lob. She also freshened up her curtain bangs and enriched her color with what appears to be an auburn gloss.
2021: Fancy Updo
When she traveled to Scotland, she stepped out in a rare updo. Her hair was intricately pinned in a half-up half-down style, while the rest cascaded down her back in tight curls.
2021: Barely-There Waves
During a visit to Cornwall in June 2021, the duchess debuted a brighter hair color for summer. Instead of uniformed curls, Princess Catherine styled her locks in barely-there beach waves.
2022: Current Status
Princess Catherine has maintained her signature hairstyle and color. During an outing in October 2022, the royal sported tighter curls that fell in layers down her back.
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