Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, has opened up about her lighter hair for the first time after her blonde locks made headlines this fall. On November 19, she attended the Royal Variety Performance in London with Prince William and shared a secret with actress Su Pollard.
Pollard told the Daily Mail that she told Kate: “I like your hair, it looks a lot lighter.”
Princess Kate reportedly replied: “It used to be brown, but it faded in the sun.”
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The princess shared the detail during a backstage chat, marking her return to the red carpet with William for the first time in two years.
Kate will debut a new blonde shade in September
In September, Kate Middleton appeared with Prince William in the gardens of the Natural History Museum in London, showing off her new caramel blonde hair. It was the first time the Princess of Wales had been seen with a lighter shade of her long, thick hair.
Just two days later, at the Women’s Rugby World Cup, Kate’s hair looked noticeably darker. The look suggested that she had once again returned to her familiar brunette shade.
Bid exchange with Jessie J
During the Royal Variety Performance earlier this week, Kate shared a sweet moment with singer Jessie J. Afterwards, Jessie explained that the two talked about their individual experiences with cancer.
According to The Independent, Jessie said: “I wanted to hug my mum who recently had cancer.”
She added: “We recognized that this is something that is not easy to go through, especially in the public eye.”
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Jessie J revealed that she was diagnosed with “early breast cancer” in June. She later told fans that the cancer had not spread after the successful surgery.
Kate’s journey to recovery
Princess Kate announced in March 2024 that she was undergoing cancer treatment. In September, she confirmed that she was cancer-free.
“I can’t tell you how relieved I am to finally be done with chemo,” she wrote on X. “Now I’m focused on doing everything I can to stay cancer free. Even though I’m done with chemo, my road to recovery and a full recovery is long and I have to continue to take each day as it comes.”
Kate added that she is “looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public contracts in the coming months when I can”.
The Royal Variety Performance on Wednesday marked the first time Kate and William appeared together on the red carpet in two years.
Life after treatment
The Princess of Wales, who shares Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, with Prince William, returned to work in September 2024 after completing preventative chemotherapy.
In July, she spoke about adjusting to life after treatment, saying: “You put on a kind of brave face, a stoicism through treatment. The treatment is done, then it’s like, ‘I can crack, I’ll be back to normal,’ but actually the stage after that is really, really hard.”
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She continued, “You’re not necessarily under the clinical team anymore, but you’re not able to function normally at home like you may have once been.”
She offered her own advice, saying: “You have to find your new normal and that takes time…and it’s a roller coaster, it’s not as smooth as you expect. But the reality is, you’re going through tough times.”
