Prince William and Kate Middleton visited the Natural History Museum in London on Thursday for their first joint engagement since their summer break. But it wasn’t their return to work that made headlines, rather the Princess of Wales’s new hairstyle.
Sporting a sunny new blonde look to complement her tan, Kate’s voluminous, longer hairstyle was a departure for the princess, who is usually dark brunette. Just a year ago, Kate released a video announcing that she was cancer-free after undergoing a course of preventative chemotherapy. In the video, her long hair was a darker shade of brown, her natural hair color. And this summer, Kate was seen sporting brunette locks at Wimbledon.
Catherine, Princess of Wales attends day thirteen of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 12, 2025 in London, England.
Karwai Tang
On Thursday, however, Kate showed off a bold lighter style, which, according to Neville Tucker, owner of Neville’s hair salon in Mayville, which held the Royal Warrant as one of the late Queen Elizabeth’s favored salons, Kate’s new blonde look is likely to spark a new trend.
“Kate’s gone for a strong look that is really noticeably different to how we are used to seeing her,” Tucker told Vanity Fair. “She has been playing with blonde tones for a while, but last year she was the darkest she had been in a while. It makes the change quite dramatic, I would say this is the blondest we have seen her. She looks as though she’s had a full set of highlights.”
“The trend prior to this was brunette, and Kate really championed that natural brunette look. It was seen as more fashionable, but with Kate going blonder, it’s likely to spark a trend where more people are going to be asking for blonde or honey-toned highlights.”
Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales arrive for a visit to the Natural History Museum’s newly renovated gardens on September 4, 2025 in London, England.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Kate sported a similar makeover three years ago when she was seen taking Prince Louis to school for his first day with Prince William, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte. At the time, the blonder color was referred to as “bronde” – a mix of blonde and bronde which sparked a trend in salons around the country. Kate’s latest look is bolder and shows a new confidence in the royal, who has made a gradual return to work since successfully completing a course of chemotherapy last year.
Kate and William looked thrilled to be back on duty now that the summer holidays are over and their children are back at school. Kate is patron of the Natural History Museum and was greeted by the museum’s director, Doug Gurr, who introduced them to children who benefit from the museum’s learning programs which take place in the newly opened gardens, where scientists and visitors can experience and learn about wildlife in the centre of London. The Natural History Museum’s Urban Nature Project has seen more than 7,500 schools, colleges, and nurseries getting involved so far and is inspiring action in young people by developing their connection with nature.
Kate is passionate about the importance of nature and children spending time in nature, a theme that shaped her Back to Nature play garden at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2019.
Recently, Princess Kate spoke about the importance of nature in her healing journey following her cancer diagnosis last year. In a video she released on social media over the summer, she reiterated the importance of reconnecting with nature.
Thursday’s visit comes after a busy summer for the Prince and Princess of Wales, which included a trip to Kefalonia aboard a luxury superyacht.
William and Kate usually spend their summer in Norfolk at their countryside home Anmer Hall but following a tough year for the family, they decided to travel overseas and enjoyed “the holiday of a lifetime,” according to one royal source.
They adhered to the tradition of traveling to Scotland at the end of the holidays and were in Balmoral for the recent August Bank holiday with King Charles and Queen Camilla and were seen driving to church.
The late Queen Elizabeth II used to host a long weekend for her family and looked forward to welcoming her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren to the castle every year. It is a tradition King Charles has continued and one William and Catherine look forward to each year.
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