The Princess of Wales turned heads as she stepped out on Thursday alongside her husband, Prince William, as the pair headed to the Natural History Museum in London to view their newly transformed gardens. Kate, 43, looked amazing as she rocked noticeably lighter locks following her summer break.
The princess was seen arriving at the museum with her usual chocolate brown locks looking blonder than ever, and she swapped her loose mermaid waves for a tighter, more springy style, which emphasised the sandier hues running through her hair. Naturally, the royal's new do sparked a huge conversation over at HELLO! HQ and on social media.
"When you say 'princess hair', this is exactly what I picture," Melanie Macleod, HELLO!'s Deputy Beauty and Lifestyle Editor, tells us. "Long, tumbling Sleeping Beauty style curls in a golden hue (sorry, brunette ladies). While Princess Kate has never been this blonde before, this ultra-long, voluminous look reminds me of her younger years, back when she was simply Kate Middleton. There's endless rhetoric over whether women over 40 can have long hair, and Princess Kate proves unequivocally, yes."
While Kate's new look has divided the internet, with Princess Diana's former hairstylist Sam McKnight even rushing to her defence, many fans have been blown away by her appearance. One wrote: "I like the new colour, looks good on her," while another agreed, saying: "Loving the new look your Highness."
Colourist to the stars and royalty, Daniel Galvin Jr MBE, is also in agreement. Speaking about Kate's blonder locks, he tells HELLO!: "It really is a huge seasonal change, and I always recommend to my ladies, it's really important living in the UK to have that seasonal change - not to be necessarily dictated to by fashion, because as Oscar Wilde said, fashion comes, fashion goes but style lasts forever, and the Princess certainly is the radiant jewel in our crown."
'Beauty chameleon'
It's not the first time Kate has experimented with her hair – we've seen an array of colour, highlights, lengths and bangs to boot over the years.
"Kate's a natural beauty chameleon that can take red, brunette or blonde tones, so this is a wonderful time of year for her to have made this transition," Daniel says. "It's quite a contrast to her former brunette locks, which is of course is part of her trademark. People say 'don't go lighter in the winter,' but I don't go by instructions in a book or follow manuals, I go against the grain. I think going lighter in the winter, particularly with the fashion colour tones of burgundy, navy and the more muted tones this season, it's making her eyes look stronger, bluer this time of year."
He adds: "She has a very versatile mane because of her role and the number of engagements she has - whether her hair is up, down, tied-back or in a loose bun, this look is going to wear well with any one of them, which has to be taken into consideration. When you advise clients like I do, it's important to understand their roles and their dress sense."
Hair advice for Kate
With such a big colour change, we asked Daniel what advice he would give to Kate around maintaining her new look going forward.
"I do particularly like the colour going through the mid-lengths and ends of her hair. I love those tones, it's giving contrast and movement, and I like the lighter colour around her face," Daniel tells HELLO!. "One thing that would top it for me would be seeing a little bit more contrast going through the top layers, it will make her hair look thicker and give it more movement. She really suits the lighter tones, I'm loving the ends, I'm loving the colour around her face, I would just personally love to see her with a little more contrast to the top. It's where you do something called a reverse light, which breaks it up and gives it a little bit of contrast."
He would also advise Kate and any of his clients to "have a detox, and an amino acid and vitamin treatment on a weekly basis".
He adds: "Feeding your hair with vitamins, and proteins which keep the elasticity and the shine in the hair is very important, so look for natural organic products for conditioning and gloss masks, like the Daniel Galvin Love range."
DANIEL GALVIN 67 Abingdon Road Kensington W8 6AN, call 020 3544 6535 or DM Daniel via Instagram @danielgalvinjr