11 dramatic royal hair transformations: from Duchess Kate to Queen Letizia

The Duchess of Cambridge, Queen Letizia and the Countess of Wessex are just some of the royal ladies that regularly give us hair envy. And while we may have become accustomed to seeing the royals donning elegant up-dos and glossy blowdries, many of them have experimented with a number of different colours, cuts and styles over the years. From the Duchess of Sussex's lighter colour to Princess Charlotte's parting, we've taken a trip down memory lane to see some of our favourite royal hair transformations…

Princess Charlotte

Princess Charlotte may be a very young royal, but she has already begun to change her hair. Photos of her at the age of two show a deep side parting and richer brunette tones, while her first day of school in September 2019 saw her with a centre parting, blonde sun-kisssed colour and her hair pulled back into a smart ponytail. We can't wait to see more!

The Duchess of Cambridge

Anyone else remember the global headlines when the Duchess debuted her new thick fringe back in 2012? The mum-of-three has since grown out her fringe in favour of choppy layers that frame her face, and while she has always stuck to the brunette colour spectrum, she opted for warmer honey-coloured highlights in October 2019. 

The Countess of Wessex

Sophie always looks so effortlessly elegant with her blonde hair styled into chic updos for royal engagements, so it's difficult to remember the Countess with any other style. Back in 1994, she was pictured with a short pixie cut with a fringe and a darker blonde colour. 

Queen Letizia

Queen Letizia is never afraid to experiment with her style, and that applies to her hair, too! While her dark locks now fall past her shoulders, she also wowed with a dramatic short bob in April 2015.

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The Duchess of Sussex

Meghan Markle appears to have grown her shoulder-length hair recently, and her thick, long style was evident when the Duchess returned to London for one of her final official engagements before stepping back from royal life in March 2020 – we love her sleek ponytail!

But the royal hasn't always sported her gorgeous raven hair – she has experimented with much lighter colours in the past. During the early days of Suits, the former actress dyed her hair a much warmer, sun-kissed brunette shade.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit

Her iconic platinum blonde hair hasn't always been this bright - Princess Mette-Marit of Norway increasingly lightening her colour over the years. Back in 2000, shortly after she announced her engagement to Crown Prince Haakon, her hair was noticeably different to her current hair with subtle highlights creating an overall caramel hue. 

Sarah Ferguson

The Duchess of York tried out a much lighter look in 2004, saying goodbye to her signature strawberry blonde hair (but not for long).

Princess Diana

Diana's decision to have her blonde hair cut into what later became her iconic short style was a snappy one. Hairdresser Sam McKnight has said of the moment, which happened after a Vogue photoshoot: "I made her hair look short in the tiara for the shoot and she decided she liked it. As she was leaving, Diana asked what would I do to her hair if I had free rein…. I suggested cutting it short, and she, to my surprise, agreed, and we did it there and then."

Lady Kitty Spencer

Lady Kitty Spencer also reached for the bleach back in 2009! Now she rocks a more natural blonde with dark roots.

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Princess Charlene

Princess Charlene of Monaco has favoured shorter, more modern hairstyles for many years, but did turn heads in 2015, when she first debuted a pixie cut that was shaved at the back. Her husband Prince Albert sweetly told People: " I knew that she wanted to do that, and I think she looks great with short hair."

Lady Amelia Windsor

Amelia cut her long blonde hair into a stylish tousled bob in February 2019, thanks to stylist George Northwood – who also works with Duchess Meghan. She has sweetly christened it the 'mel-bob'. Cute!