Kate’s highlight of the day
The Duchess of Cambridge appeared with new blonde highlights in her hair yesterday as she visited students in Derby to hear about how the pandemic has affected their lives and mental health. Dressed in a soft blue pastel jumper, the Duchess also wore a necklace that featured the initials of her three children, which she was given as a gift on her tour of Ireland earlier this year
Yesterday, the Duchess of Cambridge visited first-year students at the University of Derby to hear how the pandemic has affected the start of their undergraduate life. She also found out how their mental health is being cared for on campus, learning about a “buddy” system and the “Student Space” phone line set up to help them.
Dressed casually in a checked wool jacket, soft pastel jumper and matching floral face mask, her signature big, bouncy blow-dry was replaced with a new, youthful hairstyle befitting both her royal position and the contemplative mood of the nation. In other words, Kate’s nailed it once again.
Rarely putting a fashion foot wrong, the Duchess has managed to update her hair for autumn with a feathered midi cut while maintaining her traditional elegance. Cut a few inches below her shoulders, her new style allows s enough length for it to be worn up on formal occasions, while the graduated layers frame her features.
But it is Kate’s new blondette hair colour that is the pièce de résistance of her new look. A soft inbetween blend of blonde and brunette, it manages to artfully lift her complexion with an enlivening hue that reflects the light and brightens spirits. Indeed, blondette is one of the most flattering hair shades across all skin tones and ages, and can be spotted on a host of ageless celebrities from Jennifer Aniston to Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé. This isn’t the first time that Kate has experimented with a lighter hair colour. Most memorably, she debuted a warmer wa shade of blonde when escorting Princess Charlotte to her first day of school last September.
Yet, clearly mindful of the soberness of the pandemic, this time Kate has opted for a softer, less vivid hue, updating her style by taking the length up, instead.
Hair colourist Josh Wood, who worked on the recent Prada show, tells us: “Hair colour is moving to a more sophisticated form of Nineties grunge.”
One thing is for certain, the Duchess of Cambridge always effortlessly strikes the fine balance between duty and style.