There's a lot to envy about the way the Princess of Wales looks, and we're certainly not the first to point that out. After all, Kate Middleton has long been considered a royal style icon, and her makeup is always fresh and timeless (and professionally done, for what it's worth). But honestly, if we could steal one thing from Kate, it would be her hair. No matter what she's doing, where she's going, and what the weather might be, it's always perfect.
Through most of her career as a royal — especially now that she's closer than ever to becoming queen consort someday — Kate has never had a single hair out of place, even on the windiest of days. She's known for her signature bouncy blowout, but on occasion, she's taken a hair risk and gotten bangs, a shorter cut, or mixed it up with different styles, and it's truly rare that she ever misses the mark.
If you're looking for an inspo photo to take to your stylist before your next hair appointment, or you just want to take a walk down memory lane, keep reading for Kate's best mane moments over the years.
The Engagement Blowout
Through her early relationship with Prince William during their college years at St. Andrews and beyond, Kate had already been in the spotlight for quite a while prior to her engagement. But once the two were planning their wedding, she was more polished than ever before — just look at those bouncy waves.
Wedding Day Hair
Obviously, most of us put a great deal of thought into the way our hair will look on our wedding day, and Kate was no exception — especially knowing that millions of eyes would be on her that day. Her half-updo with soft curls was perfect (and worked well with a tiara, which is what mattered most).
A Little More Natural
William and Kate didn't waste much time getting down to royal business after tying the knot. The year after their wedding (this is 2012 we're talking about), they headed out to the Solomon Islands as part of a tour in honor of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, and not even Kate's hair was able to repel the effects of the humidity in such a tropical environment.
Lots of Layers
If we didn't know better, we'd think this was a recent haircut, considering the fact that face-framing layers and long curtain bangs are so 2023. But this was Kate in 2013, showing off some of the most volume we've ever seen from her. What we wouldn't give for hair like this!
Trying a Shorter Style
For the most part, Kate likes to keep her hair relatively long, but this is an example of a time when she decided to take a risk and chop it all off. Of course, it looks a lot shorter than it actually was when it's curled like this, but it's so adorable.
Elegant Updo
It's rare that members of the royal family make it over to the US, so it makes sense that when William and Kate were in New York City in December 2014, Kate did not miss out on a chance to turn heads with her hairstyle. This elegant updo (and those earrings) looked so striking.
Turn Up the Volume
Nobody can take a boring ponytail and make it a statement quite the way that Kate can. Here, she's bringing all the volume to this low pony, proving that not even she was immune to the trend that had us all throwing a bump in our hair in the early aughts.
A Long Bob With Bangs
This photo of Kate from 2015 is another example of how cute short hair can really look on her — this time, with some long bangs added. We wouldn't hate to see a lob on her now, even though she really hasn't had hair quite like this in the years since. Maybe she wasn't a fan, but we are!
Prim & Regal
When we imagine a princess, this is exactly the hair we picture her having — and as it turns out, this 'do was for a pretty important moment in Kate's career. This photo was taken during her first official foreign solo visit as a royal when she went to the Netherlands in 2016. Gorgeous!
Perfect Ponytail
Here's another ponytail of Kate's that looks more like a hairstyle than a way to keep the hair out of her face. We're pretty sure that the key is that her stylist wrapped some hair around the ponytail holder, which instantly elevates this otherwise average look.
Impressive Levels of Volume
We have never, not once, seen Kate's hair achieve volume the way it did on this day in 2017. It looks like her hair is teased to high heaven, and we're going to need all the details on how she got it to look like this. We'll be waiting for the TikTok tutorial if anyone needs us.
Short & Sweet
Another major hair win for Kate in 2017. After doing another big chop, Kate wore a fun strapless red dress during a visit to Germany, at which point she showed off this flirty short hairstyle to match. You can't see it in this pic, but Kate had a glass of champagne in her hand at the time, which definitely fits the hair vibe here.
Classy for Christmas
We've talked about Kate being able to style her hair with a tiara, but she's pretty good at showing off styles that work with a hat, too (and that accessory is something she wears quite frequently). This Christmas 'do is too cute and shows off her earrings.
A Straighter Look
Seeing Kate with straight hair is super rare, but she looks pretty good when she decides to style it that way. We love that there's still a little bit of curl going on here, too — like we said earlier, not even royals can command humidity to stop doing its thing.
Tight Curls
On the other end of the spectrum, we have Kate's super tight curls — a style she tried out in 2022 but hasn't seemed to bring back since. Maybe she wasn't a fan, but it was one of our favorites of her styles over the years, especially for a formal occasion.
Literal Princess Hair
During Kate's first state dinner as the Princess of Wales in November 2022, she did not disappoint. Not only did she knock it out of the park in this chic cape gown, but her updo was so classy with her tiara. If you're going to accessorize, it might as well be with a sparkly crown.
Windswept Perfection
When those of us who are just mere mortals go out on a windy day, we end up looking like a total mess, bit when Kate does it, she somehow ends up looking like a supermodel. We need all the details about whatever magic she used to pull this off (and how she kept her curls intact).
Blowout Goals
Kate started off 2023 with great hair, as per usual. Here, she showed off a straighter blowout that made her hair look perfectly sleek. Paired with her wine-colored blazer, this is a great look for getting royal business done. She looks so polished!
