The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, stepped out with noticeably lighter blonde hair as she sat in the passenger seat of a Range Rover next to Prince William. Their three children — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 — joined them on the ride to a Sunday church service at Crathie Kirk on August 24.
Kate, 43, paired her new hair with a dark berry coat and a matching hat, completing a stylish look during the royal family’s summer retreat near Balmoral Castle.
Royals Gather for Church Service
The family outing was part of a larger royal gathering. King Charles III and Queen Camilla were also present, along with Princess Anne and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence, and Prince Edward with Duchess Sophie.
Blonde is the New Royal Trend
Kate’s lighter hairstyle comes just a month after she revealed honey blonde locks. But she isn’t the only one experimenting with hair transformations in recent weeks.
Her sister, Pippa Middleton, showcased a shorter and blunter hairstyle with lighter brown tones during her rare appearance at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix in July. Pippa, 41, had previously worn a darker bob during the family’s Christmas celebrations last December. She shares three children — Arthur, 6, Grace, 4, and Rose, 3 — with husband James Matthews.
Princess Anne’s Rare Change
Even Princess Anne decided to switch her signature style for the first time in five decades. Ahead of her 75th birthday earlier this month, she posed for an official portrait at Windsor Castle with Sir Tim, sporting an elegant chignon instead of her well-known bouffant.
The shift was notable since Anne has worn her iconic bouffant for nearly 50 years. She once explained why the hairstyle worked so well for her. In the 2020 documentary Princess Royal: Anne at 70, she said, “I read an article the other day about Netflix and The Crown, but the actress was talking about how long it took them to do their hair like I did. And I’m thinking, ‘How could you possibly take that long?’ I mean, it takes me 10 or 15 minutes.”