Kate Middleton Shows Off Shocking Blonde Hair for First Time

Kate Middleton is showing off her summer hair as she returns to royal duty.

On Sept. 4, the Princess of Wales, 43, visited the Natural History Museum’s newly transformed gardens with Prince William, also 43, for their first joint outing following summer break.

After sparkling speculation of a lighter hair hue during an August sighting, Thursday’s outing confirmed that Princess Kate was rocking summer highlights and let her hair grow down to the middle of her back, making for her blondest and longest style in years.

For the museum outing, Kate wore her hair loose with a side part, rocking her signature bouncy blowout.

Speculation surrounding Kate’s latest hair change came on Aug. 24, when cameras captured her driving to church near Balmoral Castle in Scotland with Prince William and their kids, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.

Kate wore her long hair in loose waves for the church outing, where her tresses looked golden in the sunlight.

That look marked a departure from the royal’s hair hue in July, as Princess Kate’s hair was a richer chestnut when she attended the Wimbledon Championships on July 12 and 13.

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Like many women, the Princess of Wales has changed her hair color and style several times over the years. Princess Kate has experimented with short layers, sunny highlights, curtain bangs and even anonymously donated seven inches of hair to the Little Princess Trust charity in 2017. The organization creates wigs from donated hair and distributes them to children who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy or radiation treatments. 

In January, the Princess of Wales told a woman undergoing treatment for cancer that she didn’t use a cold cap during her cancer treatment. Princess Kate shared in March 2024 that she was undergoing treatment for cancer, said in September that she completed chemo and announced in January of this year that she was in remission.

Katherine Field, a patient undergoing cancer treatment who met Princess Kate during her visit to The Royal Marsden Hospital in January, told PEOPLE that they spoke about cold capping.

According to the American Cancer Society, cold capping is a scalp cooling system that can help reduce hair loss during chemotherapy, and Field was wearing a cold cap when they met.

When asked if Princess Kate spoke about using a cold cap, Field said, “She just said that she didn’t have to have it. For her to lose her hair, which is so iconic, would have been awful. Everyone loves her hair!” 

Princess Kate’s visit to London’s Natural History Museum on Thursday was likely especially of interest to her. She is the royal patron of the Natural History Museum and has spoken openly about her passion for the outdoors, especially amid her cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

During the outdoor engagement, the royal couple had a good attitude as they got caught in the rain with a group of young students.

The Prince and Princess of Wales’ first outing of September came one day after their children returned to the classroom for a new school year. Over the past two months, the family has remained largely out of the public eye while they spent the summer together.