Princess

There’s been so much clownery with the commentary around the Princess of Wales’ blonde wiglet of doom. There are literal hair colorists and hair-styling professionals swearing up and down that Kate’s blonde wig was brilliant, and that Kate’s hair was still some kind of blonde shade in her two subsequent appearances post-Blonde Wig. The Daily Mail had a full exclusive about how Kate was absolutely still blonde over the weekend, when she went to a rugby game, as hair stylists swore that it was all a matter of lighting. Then Kate made an appearance on Monday sans blonde wiglet, and… almost nothing. Well, at least the Royalist Substack is calling her out, I guess? Tom Sykes’ headline: “Kate’s Hair Needs to Decide If It Belongs to an Influencer or a Royal.”

My own opinion was that Kate’s blonde hair didn’t look great, but I couldn’t really put my finger on why, until a stylist and make-up artist friend, speaking anonymously as they have regularly worked for various royals, told me, “On Kate, it just looks a bit tacky. I hate to say it, but she looks more like an influencer than a royal.”

I checked back in with them on Saturday evening after the new pictures were published, and asked for their updated opinion: “Tying the hair back was a smart move because it has reined in the more overt caramel tones,” they said. “It’s also squashed the speculation she was wearing a wig. She is not wearing a wig, that’s very clear, but it definitely looks like she is wearing extremely expensive hair extensions.”

I asked my friend how much they thought the absence of Natasha Archer might have been responsible for the debacle earlier this week. They said: “Archer put everything together for Kate. She was there on every trip, she was there when she had to face the cameras after the birth of her kids for god’s sake. She was her rock, so it’s a huge loss. I’m told she was someone who knew how to say, ‘maybe not’ to Kate which is so important. Personally I think Kate was mad to let her go and she was mad to leave. Kate should get her back. The gossip is that Archer was frustrated by Kate not doing many events, but, you know, that is going to change one of these days.”

Another source in the fashion world told The Royalist: “Her hair looks better tied back because it’s very elegant to have your hair half up and half down. Because the hair extensions are so voluminous she looked odd with all of it down. No one’s hair looks like that at her age. She looked like a mermaid. Now she has tied it back, she has lovely thick hair, but it’s not overwhelming her head.”

The source added: “I have heard that she has actually had hair extensions for a long time, so I think what happened is she just went a bit far. That happens. I think the hair extensions she has now are out of proportion. Had she not gone quite as far with them, no one would have suspected. But it looks amazing pulled back because she is a beautiful girl so I think everyone is going to be very, very happy now.”

Saturday’s look was certainly much more elegant than Thursday’s, when Kate looked like a mouse peeking out of a haystack.

[From The Royalist Substack]

As someone who has written about Kate’s hairpieces for years, it’s wild to see any kind of mainstream discourse on this subject, just as it’s hilarious for people to finally acknowledge that Kate has been wearing extensions, hairpieces, falls and wigs for many, many years. Again, I’m not saying this is the most concerning issue of our time or anything, but the conversation perfectly encapsulates how Kate is infantilized by the British press and how Kate is protected and coddled by the royal institution – they lie so blatantly about her hairpieces, don’t you wonder if they’re lying about other things too? Kate’s blonde wig was apparently the bridge too far – suddenly, you’ve got royalists questioning Kate’s tacky aesthetic and suggesting that she wants to look like an influencer? You’ve got people openly talking about Kate’s history of hairpieces? I guarantee that Kate plopped that blonde wig on her head last week because she was trying to get attention and change the story from “work-shy royals demanded a fifth forever home.”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images. Side-by-sides made by CB