Kate Middleton Pays Subtle Tribute to Her Iconic Wedding Hair
Fifteen years later, the look holds up.
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Catherine, Princess of Wales, 44, wore her hair in a throwback style reminiscent of her famous 2011 wedding-day look.
On a tour of Welsh textile arts yesterday, Middleton wore her hair in a half-up, half-down style—similar to the very same hairstyle she wore at her royal wedding to Prince William nearly 15 years ago.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, speaks with members of the design team during a visit to Hiut Denim, a family-owned company that designs and manufactures premium jeans entirely in the UK, on February 3, 2026, in Cardigan, Wales.
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The Princess wore her chestnut-colored hair pulled back from her face, with loose waves at the back that romantically tumbled over her bold orange plaid coat, which eagle-eyed fans believe is a vintage pick. She accessorized with a pair of delicate earrings, a gold necklace over her dark olive turtleneck, and her usual ring stack.
Middleton first visited Melin Tregwynt, a working wool mill in Wales that’s been operating since 1841. She then stopped by Hiut Denim for an afternoon tea with the denim makers (and their resident dog, Barney). There, the Princess tried her hand at sewing the back pocket on a pair of jeans. For her third stop, the Princess visited the Welsh Quilt Centre, where she learned about the intergenerational art of needlework.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, visits Melin Tregwynt, a woollen mill weaving traditional Welsh designs on February 3, 2026, in Castlemorris, Wales.
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The look was very similar to the bridal hairstyle she wore in 2011, which was an elegant half-up, half-down look styled by James Pryce and Richard Ward of Richard Ward Salon, where Middleton was a longtime client.
Kate Middleton's half-up, half-down wedding day hair in 2011 and her half-up, half-down hairstyle in 2026.
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At the time, her hairdressers called the look a “demi-chignon” in a 2011 interview with People magazine. Ward told the outlet, “Catherine was very involved in her chosen style and the bridal look was based on her own personal preference.” He also added that “it was really a matter of getting a fine balance of feeling natural but also reflected the occasion.”
Some noticeable differences between yesterday’s hair and her royal wedding hair: Middleton’s recent color is now lighter and features more dimension. She also wore her hair parted down the center, while the 2011 look featured a deep side part.
Another major change, albeit an obvious one: Her 2026 look featured zero bridal headwear. In 2011, she paired the “demi-chignon” with a Cartier tiara borrowed from the late queen and a cathedral-length veil that featured hand-embroidered flowers.
Hair stylist James Pryce and Richard Ward, Managing Director of Richard Ward Hair and Metrospa, pose the day after styling Catherine Middleton's hair for her wedding to Prince William, at Clarence House on April 30, 2011, in London, England.
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While Middleton’s royal wedding hair is widely considered one of the most timeless and elegant bridal looks of the modern era, the hairstylists who created it found themselves embroiled in controversy following the high-profile nuptials.
In 2013, Vanity Fair reported that Pryce stopped working with Richard Ward, who subsequently banned hifrom taking any of his boss’s salon’s previous clients for six months. He then reportedly released several behind-the-scenes photos of Kate’s hair against the Palace’s wishes.