Skip to main contentSkip to footer

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Read our full commerce guidelines here.

11 dramatic royal hair transformations: Princess Kate, Meghan Markle, Princess Diana & more

These royal ladies like to experiment with their hairstyles as you can see below...

royal hair
Fiona Ward
Acting Fashion and Beauty Editor
Share this:

The Princess of WalesQueen Letizia and the Countess of Wessex are just some of the royal ladies that regularly give us hair envy. And while we may have become accustomed to seeing the royals donning elegant up-dos and glossy blowdries, many of them have experimented with a number of different colours, cuts and styles over the years.

LOOK: Blonde vs Brunette! 11 celebrities who've experimented with their hair colour

From the Duchess of Sussex's lighter colour to Princess Charlotte's parting, we've taken a trip down memory lane to see some of our favourite royal hair transformations…

Princess Charlotte

hair charlotte

Princess Charlotte may be a very young royal, but she has already begun to change her hair. Photos of her at the age of two show a deep side parting and richer brunette tones, while her first day of school in September 2019 saw her with a centre parting, blonde sun-kisssed colour and her hair pulled back into a smart ponytail. We can't wait to see more!

The Princess of Wales

hair kate

Anyone else remember the global headlines when the princess debuted her new thick fringe back in 2012? The mum-of-three has since grown out her fringe in favour of choppy layers that frame her face, and while she has always stuck to the brunette colour spectrum, she opted for warmer honey-coloured highlights in October 2019. 

The Countess of Wessex

hair sophie

Sophie always looks so effortlessly elegant with her blonde hair styled into chic updos for royal engagements, so it's difficult to remember the Countess with any other style. Back in 1994, she was pictured with a short pixie cut with a fringe and a darker blonde colour. 

Queen Letizia

hair letizia

Queen Letizia is never afraid to experiment with her style, and that applies to her hair, too! While her dark locks now fall past her shoulders, she also wowed with a dramatic short bob in April 2015.

MORE: 11 of our favourite celeb-inspired beauty products

The Duchess of Sussex

hair meghan

Meghan Markle appears to have grown her shoulder-length hair recently, and her thick, long style was evident when the Duchess returned to London for one of her final official engagements before stepping back from royal life in March 2020 – we love her sleek ponytail!

But the royal hasn't always sported her gorgeous raven hair – she has experimented with much lighter colours in the past. During the early days of Suits, the former actress dyed her hair a much warmer, sun-kissed brunette shade.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit

hair merritt

Her iconic platinum blonde hair hasn't always been this bright - Princess Mette-Marit of Norway increasingly lightening her colour over the years. Back in 2000, shortly after she announced her engagement to Crown Prince Haakon, her hair was noticeably different to her current hair with subtle highlights creating an overall caramel hue. 

Sarah Ferguson

hair sarah

The Duchess of York tried out a much lighter look in 2004, saying goodbye to her signature strawberry blonde hair (but not for long).

Princess Diana

hair diana

Diana's decision to have her blonde hair cut into what later became her iconic short style was a snappy one. Hairdresser Sam McKnight has said of the moment, which happened after a Vogue photoshoot: "I made her hair look short in the tiara for the shoot and she decided she liked it. As she was leaving, Diana asked what would I do to her hair if I had free rein…. I suggested cutting it short, and she, to my surprise, agreed, and we did it there and then."

Lady Kitty Spencer

hair kitty

Lady Kitty Spencer also reached for the bleach back in 2009! Now she rocks a more natural blonde with dark roots.

READ: Sustainable fashion: When royals recycle their favourite outfits

Princess Charlene

hair charlene

Princess Charlene of Monaco has favoured shorter, more modern hairstyles for many years, but did turn heads in 2015, when she first debuted a pixie cut that was shaved at the back. Her husband Prince Albert sweetly told People: " I knew that she wanted to do that, and I think she looks great with short hair."

Lady Amelia Windsor

hair amelia

Amelia cut her long blonde hair into a stylish tousled bob in February 2019, thanks to stylist George Northwood – who also works with Duchess Meghan. She has sweetly christened it the 'mel-bob'. Cute!

READ: These 5 beauty hacks are serious game changers

Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity and royal news delivered directly to your inbox.

More Hair

See more