What to Know
When Kate Middleton went blonder than ever before earlier this year, both fans and critics had a lot of questions. Of course, the Princess of Wales has switched up her hairstyle a bit over the years, but this was her boldest transformation — and one that people had a lot of negative opinions about.
Then, Kate almost immediately made the switch back to her usual brunette look, which raised even more questions, and now, she’s finally explaining what happened.
Kate opened up about her hair at the Royal Variety Performance.
As the Daily Mail reported, the topic came up while Kate was chatting backstage with actress Su Pollard. After Su mentioned Kate’s lighter hair, she replied, “It used to be brown, but it’s gone light in the sunshine.”
Considering the fact that she was spotted with the lighter color for the first time in August, it’s possible that the sun did have a bit of an effect on her color, but did she really have zero professional help with the transformation?
There’s just one problem: Not everyone is buying her explanation.
Creative Color Expert Seung Ki Baek told the outlet that the sun likely isn’t the “only factor” in her lighter color.
“Lightening the hair in the sun can occur over time, but the effect is often less dramatic than for those with a naturally lighter base,” he said.
He’s not the only one who has doubts, either. On X, plenty of people are questioning Kate’s explanation, too.
“The way she’s insulting to most people’s intellect by saying this, yet knowing people are dumb enough to believe her says everything,” one person wrote, while another added, “Yeah, because we all know England is known for its abundant sunshine.”
Kate’s blonde hair caused quite a stir.
When Kate first stepped out with the lighter color in August, people did not hold back when it came to how they really felt about it — including in the comments on posts shared on Will and Kate’s official Instagram account. At the time, some even speculated that it was a wig, and just days later, Kate seemed to be back to her regularly scheduled brown hair that the public has always known her for.
She’s never responded to the backlash, but there’s no doubt it eventually did reach her. The sun lightening Kate’s hair is her story, and it looks like she’s sticking to it.
