What to Know
At this point in her career as a working member of the royal family, there’s a good chance Kate Middleton is used to receiving all kinds of criticism when it comes to her appearance. But at this point, people really aren’t holding their feelings back. A lot of royal watchers are unimpressed with her look at the 2026 British Academy of Film Awards (also known as the BAFTAs) over the weekend, especially her hair.
Kate has always been known for having great hair, so this style seemed to be a bit off.
While normally, Kate’s hairstyles are very neat and well put together, just like she is, for the BAFTAs, Kate went with a more flowing, loose curl that brought all the volume. And though some people loved it, many critics on Reddit were unimpressed, with one person describing it as a “birds nest.” Some even claimed that it wasn’t her natural hair at all — instead, it might be a wig or a topper.
“We know she can afford better extensions and better wigs than this. Either she’s doing it on purpose at this point or her hair dresser hates her,” one commenter wrote.
Others are concerned about her health in general.
Since Kate’s weight has been a topic of conversation more and more over the past couple of years, of course, some Redditors were convinced that the long hair is meant to keep people’s attention away from her body.
“I think it’s intentional. To direct criticism toward her hair rather than other changes in her appearance,” one person wrote.
One royal expert claimed Kate is using her hair as a “distraction technique.”
Hello! magazine’s royal editor Ainhoa Barcelona said with all the scandal plaguing the royal family right now, Kate may have deliberately switched up her look to give people something to talk about other than the former Prince Andrew’s arrest.
“In the past, the Princess has often used her hair as a distraction technique, so, given all the current noise around the royal family, it’s perhaps not surprising that Kate chose a fresh new look for her return to the BAFTAs red carpet on Sunday,” Ainhoa said.
That would make total sense, especially since the royals must be upset by just how much Andrew’s scandal has affected the conversation about the monarchy these days.
