Kate Middleton has been in the spotlight since she first met Prince William in college in 2001. As the couple began to date, paparazzi followed her everywhere, and they've ended up documenting her whole life from the early 2000s until now. Photos of the Duchess of Cambridge throughout the years show the transformation that her hair has undergone, as she transitioned from commoner to future queen.
There's no denying Kate has always had great hair, but she didn't always know what to do with it. In the early days of dating William, she left it mostly alone, letting it be casual and effortless. As she joined the royal family, she became used to presenting a more polished side of herself, and her hair.
But that doesn't mean she hasn't had fun with her hairstyles over the years. She's changed her locks up in every which way — dyeing her hair lighter, cutting it, adding bangs, keeping it curly, and more. Here's her full hair journey, from childhood until now.
Pigtails
This photo of Kate as a young girl is so cute. She's been a fashionista since childhood with those fun pigtails secured with hair elastics and barrettes. The duchess should consider putting Princess Charlotte in this hairdo sometime. It was trendy then, and it's trendy now. What a style icon.
Heavy Bangs
For her college graduation day, Kate styled her hair in loose waves and gave her bangs some volume. She's never been one of those women who likes barely there, wispy bangs. She likes her fringe to be able to block out the world when it falls in front of her eyes.
Casual for a Polo Match
In 2006, Kate was William's girlfriend and wasn't necessarily thinking about what would change when she became a duchess. She was much less polished back then as this low-cut sundress and casual hairstyle show. Now that she's married to William, she seems incredibly put-together every second of the day.
Engagement Photos
The future Duchess of Cambridge knew the world would be watching her when she and William got engaged, so Kate took the time to make sure her hair was perfect. These blown-out curls with bouncy volume would go on to become a signature look for the brunette beauty.
Wedding Day
Many women choose elaborate updo hairstyles for their wedding day, but Kate's look was way more toned-down than that: She went with a half-up, half-down situation and soft curled ends. This is still one of the duchess' favorite styles when she's tired of wearing her hair down and wants to switch things up.
First Royal Engagement
One of Kate's first duties as an official royal was to meet with US President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. She dressed in a chic beige cocktail outfit and paired it with curled hair. But she hadn't quite fallen into her usual soft curls/big volume standard that she has today. Her ends were flipped out here, and it just shows that she was still adjusting to getting her royal look perfected.
Taming the Curls
By August 2011, several months after her wedding, Kate was starting to get the hang of things. For this royal engagement, she showed off bouncy, shiny curls filled with volume. This would go on to be one of her most known hairstyles as a royal.
Natural Texture
In 2012, William and Kate went on a royal tour of the Solomon Islands, including Honiara. The sea air and humidity revealed some of Kate's natural hair texture. Her natural waves are much tighter and more casual than her luxe, blown-out curls, but she still looks so gorgeous.
Retro Bangs
After returning home from the tour, Kate decided to change things up and had some bangs cut. These are very '70s-style, especially when paired with the middle part and high-necked green gown. She went with tighter ringlets toward the ends of her hair, making for an overall chic, retro look.
Ombré Highlights
When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge presented Prince George to the world, Kate also got to show off her gorgeous ombré hair. It could have been an accident — born out of letting her roots grow while she was pregnant — but it's so pretty with the honey-colored ends and dark roots. She looked flawless hours after giving birth, which is deeply unfair.
So Much Hair
During pregnancy, a woman's hair doesn't shed as much, giving off a thicker, fuller vibe — and postpartum hair loss doesn't start for a few months after birth. That's likely why Kate's hair is so thick here, since it's just the month after she gave birth to Prince George. She has so much of it!
Gray Is Showing
People freaked out when Kate had noticeable gray roots during a November 2013 event. Some theorized that she may have been holding off dyeing her hair while breastfeeding George. Either way, she still looks gorgeous even with some grays. If anything, it just makes her more relatable.
Mom Bangs
Following the 2015 birth of Princess Charlotte, Kate once again got bangs, but people didn't love these ones as much. They did seem to be a big contrast to her usual young, fun energy. Reportedly, Kate ended up regretting them as well — but, hey, the good thing about hair is it always grows out. This style wasn't forever.
Beachy Waves
By 2017, Kate's unfortunate bangs had grown out and she seemed back to her usual self. For this springtime outing to feed some sheep, she went with more relaxed, beachy waves in contrast to her usual big, bouncy curls. It was a nice shift from her more formal hairstyles, and fitting for an outdoorsy day.
Short for Summer
A lot of people go with shorter hair in the summer, because the weather is hotter. Kate followed that lead in the summer of 2017, with a cute bob. For an event in Berlin, she still went with voluminous waves, but she looked so different with her hair only hitting her shoulder.
Much Lighter Locks
When the duchess brought her children to school in September 2019, she debuted a honey-colored hairstyle that's much lighter than the chocolatey brown color she normally shows off. It was a fun change, and it looked great on Kate — making it look like she was always being his with rays of sunshine.
Doing Her Own Zoom Hair
When the royals started working from home in 2020, Kate began to do her own hair, rather than rely on a whole glam team. Her waves definitely look a bit more on the amateur side than when her hair is professionally done, but she didn't look half bad for doing it herself.
Casual Side Part
One of Kate's first outings back after staying home was to plant flowers for a children's hospice. She kept her look casual for the event — just straight locks and a side part. The part alone was a switch for Kate, who usually goes with a middle part. She looked chic and stylish, even while keeping it simple.
Hair Refresh
By the time she sat down with essential workers in July 2020, it looked like Kate had finally been allowed to see her stylist again. Her hair was back to its usual bouncy self, and it had pretty caramel highlights woven into the darker strands, giving it an overall lighter appearance.
Glorious Waves
This is the Kate we know and love! In October 2020, she spoke on behalf of the Natural History Museum with her voluminous hair in its usual soft waves and longer length. No matter what the duchess does with her hair, she always looks great — yes, even with those bangs — but this is the look she'll always be best known for. And what a style to have patented.
Tighter Curls
Since Kate's blowout look has essentially become her signature, that usually means the curls we see from her are loose and more natural, but not this time. In 2021, Kate experimented with tighter curls at the Royal Variety Performance and she looked gorgeous doing it. What better time to try out a more glam look?
Embracing the Straight Hair
We almost never see Kate with stick straight hair, but during her 2022 trip tour of the Caribbean, we sure did! At more than one of her royal appearances, Kate seemed to be testing out a new look, ditching her curls and blowouts entirely.
Easter Accessories
When Kate joined her family (and most of the rest of the royals, minus Queen Elizabeth, who stayed home) for church on Easter 2022, she was wearing a different hairstyle than usual: a straighter look accessorized with a big statement headband. We love it!
