Kate Middleton addressed her lighter locks for the first time since she debuted the glowing new look in September.
Actress Su Pollard told the Daily Mail that she spoke with the Princess of Wales backstage at the Royal Variety Performance on Wednesday, telling her, “I like your hair, it looks a lot lighter.”
Middleton — who attended the event at London’s Royal Albert Hall alongside Prince William in a chic emerald velvet gown — reportedly replied, “It used to be brown, but it’s gone light in the sunshine.”
The princess, 43, first showed off her honey-tinted hair during a joint appearance with her husband at the Natural History Museum’s newly renovated gardens in London on Sept. 4.
She styled the newly lightened locks in voluminous curls around her shoulders, with a slightly off-center part.
Royal hairstylist Neville Tucker — a favorite of the late Queen Elizabeth II — swiftly offered up a prediction in comments to Vanity Fair, noting that the princess appeared to have “had a full set of highlights.”
“Kate’s gone for a strong look that is really noticeably different to how we are used to seeing her,” he told the fashion magazine at the time.
“She has been playing with blonde tones for a while, but last year she was the darkest she had been in a while,” Tucker added.
“It makes the change quite dramatic, I would say this is the blondest we have seen her.”
Tucker explained that Middleton’s honey highlights were likely to spark a new wave of imitators.
“It was seen as more fashionable, but with Kate going blonder, it’s likely to spark a trend where more people are going to be asking for blond or honey-toned highlights,” he said.
Though the lighter hair sparked immediate admiration, Middleton — who revealed she’s in remission in January after battling cancer — appeared to revert to her darker chestnut tones just days later.
She was pictured taking in the Women’s Rugby World Cup on Sept. 6 with what appeared to be darker hair again, though rich golden undertones remained.
Middleton wore her hair in a stylish half ponytail for the solo outing, wearing a ruffled blouse with a classic black blazer.
