Something even more shocking to me than Kate wearing the Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara happened today, December 9. Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, Lover of Sausage Curls and Security Blanket Hair, cut her hair!
Kate on November 18th on the left (the last time we saw her with her hair down), and Kate today on the right.
I’m shocked. We’ve been saying, for ages and ages, that Kate should cut her hair but I never thought it would happen because her hair is 1) her crowning achievement, and 2) her security blanket. But here she is, lopping off several inches. In the last month Kate has given a speech longer than a minute and cut her hair… Our little Katie is growing up so fast! *Sniff*
I don’t know what you guys think about Kate’s hair cut, but to avoid a “damned if she does, damned if she doesn’t” scenario, can we at least acknowledge that Kate actually listened to us and cut her hair? She deserves a pat on the back for that, no matter what we think of the cut.
Now that we got that elephant out of the room, let’s look at what Kate was even doing. She and Prince William attended the ICAP charity day at ICAP which was in support of their charities: SportsAid, Place2Be, and SkillForce.
For one day each year, ICAP donates all of their revenue and commissions to selected charities in order to positively changed the lives of thousands of people. Last year, they raised £8 million/$12.5 million with a £120 million lifetime gross. William and Kate’s three charities were just three of the many charities supported this year, another of which was Princess Sofia‘s Project Playground.
William and Kate toured the ICAP offices where they met ICAP brokers and representatives from SportsAid, Place2Be, and SkillForce. The couple hit the trading floor and assisted in the trading, with breaks to play ping pong and shoot hoops.
They teased each other a bit while playing ping pong, with William saying: “You’re not this polite when we normally play.” To which Kate replied: “Or this quiet.”
I like the bits of personality from them, but why is it that the only time these two show personality is when they are playing sports? They need to bring this playfulness to other events, too.
Video: a bit of healthy competition between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge pic.twitter.com/OH4VYagRjq
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) December 9, 2015
A #SlamDunkfor The Duchess of Cambridge @ICAPCharityDay pic.twitter.com/Hy6092BC3h
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 9, 2015
There was some themed dressing from the brokers – including the Simpsons and Day of the Dead; one table had men in booty shorts and high heels, which William and Kate took an interest in. From the Express:
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“The ‘moneysupermarket.com’ men of the Central European MIRS Desk, who deal in interest rate swaps, had based their costumes on the infamous television advert which shows a man gyrating down the street in stilettos to the Pussycat Dolls tune Don’t Cha (wish your girlfriend was hot like me).
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“Dan Lebeau showed William the ropes – but said the prince was more interested in where he got his skyscraper black patent heels from. ‘That was the first thing he asked me – where on earth did I get them from,’ he said.
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“Nigel Halligan displayed his hairy legs to the Duchess – but kicked off his heels the minute she left, saying: ‘I really don’t know how you women do it! She told me she was impressed because they were so high and said I should put my feet up the minute they had gone. I certainly took her advice on that one.'”
Kate went back to her 2012 closet again to pull out an outfit for this event. Out of all the 2012 outfits she’s repeated this fall, this has got to be my favorite.
Kate wore her LK Bennett “Davina” dress and “Jude” jacket in teal. This is one of my all-time favorite outfits from Kate – to the point that if I were able to afford these pieces I would have bought them in a heartbeat.
For her jewelry, Kate wore her Mappin and Webb “Empress” Mini White Gold and Diamond pendant and earrings. Kate went back to her old favorites – Stuart Weitzman Power pumps and Mulberry Bayswater clutch – for the rest of her accessories.
Here is a comparison between Kate in 2012 (on the left) and Kate in 2015 (on the right). Although I love the addition of the hat in 2012, I much prefer the matching belt in 2015 instead of the black one she wore in 2012 (that belt is hideous). I like both wearings but I kind of prefer the 2015 one just a bit more. Overall, I’m going to say today was a sartorial win for Kate.
In other Kate news, Kate added an event to her calendar for December 15 – she’s going back to the Anna Freud Centre. Also, yesterday, December 8, Kate attended a board meeting for 1851 Trust at Kensington Palace.
Here are a few more photos of William and Kate, and a video of Kate making a trade and doing a little dance at the end.
The Duchess of Cambridge celebrates closing a deal over the telephone at #ICAPCharityDay
https://t.co/dI8rcTePSR
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 9, 2015
Photos: Getty / ICAP Charity Day / Kensington Palace @KensingtonRoyal
Cue Handel: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!Alleluia!Alleluia! Ahhhhl-le-lu-iaaaaaaa!
Yes, I too thought I heard a choir of angels sing 🙂
Mazel Tov! Next….new eye makeup??
Absolutely. Blending and getting rid of the harsh eyeliner would turn back years!
Hey Jason — Keep reading this blog for more pointers!
So would blending her blush. The defined lines from her blush drive me crazy. No liner under her eyes regardless of color would make a nice change. I love the shorter hair. She seems lighter, not weighed down.
Yay for Kate! I swear she reads your blog, KMR. Well, she doesn’t, but Jason does! I am not joking. She looks great, really! Her hair looks great, love the outfit, and she seemed HAPPY. It actually looked like William and her were having a good time–even with his snide remarks (which I thought were jokes.) Win in my book.
I will add that if she layered her hair it would even make her look better.
Agreed.
Agree that long soft layers would transform her hair from good to oomph! But it’s a start.
+2
But happy face for the cut
Yes, it’s still pretty thick, and those too chunky bangs still look all wrong. Layers and some thinning out on the sides would make a huge difference, I mean, she’s clearly got hair to spare, so go for it!
I love the outfit. She looks great in this shade of green. I wish she would wear it more often instead of the blue she favors.
Yes! Jewel tones work for her.
I’m definitely meh on the hair. But I prefer longer hair on most women.
I’m wondering if Kate is going through some post-second-baby mom changes? The bangs/hair chop and the matronly dress at the Bond premiere are my only things I’m going off of, but these two things seem to mom her up a little bit more than the long luscious locks.
Overall, nice to see them get out and about.
I’m going to say that the length is nice, and I wish she would color her hair something different. Kate do you want to be a redhead? I think she’d look good with some autumn red streaks–nothing tacky but adding a little burning ember color. I’m going to tiptoe here and say that it would be nice if she doesn’t SWF more than Diana, because if a certain person’s fantasy was to wear a certain princess’ diamonds and live that royal life, but look in the mirror and see herself, so she got her doppleganger to do it for her… because then the psychotics of that would just boggle the mind.
But I really do like the length. Way to go to get rid of the security blanket!
I forgot to mention the belt; great change. The large black one looked very toff, but this one is subtle businesswoman, which was exactly what Kate was going for. Great outfit and fit the event perfectly.
I like her better with chocolate tones in her hair. The red seems to wash her out. Perhaps more subtle and darker highlights would be better. She seems to have a cooler skin tone.
I think today was a win for Kate. I loved this outfit the first time and I still do. I actually even like the McQueen belt with it the first time around. I also am happy to see Kate cut her hair. I like her with long hair, but it was getting to long and dragging her down. This length suits her very well. It is still long, but not too heavy.
I think this confirms though that Kate puts in extensions for her up-dos. Since I doubt she had this cut this morning, and last night she had a lot of hair pulled back in the low bun. So I am going to say she wears extensions as least for her formal up-dos. Which I don’t think is bad, most women in Hollywood do it to help the buns or what not look fuller. At least now we know she does it for sure 🙂
I agree. She looks much younger and her face looks less sagged down with this shorter cut. I personally liked the jacket even better the first go round with the McQueen belt. This one looks a little dated to me. Way to go Kate for wearing real business attire!
This is not meant to be a criticism because you should see me right now … but I think she looks mentally and physically exhausted. Her eyes! They look so sad and tired. And with those sad faces on the way to the reception last night. Poor thing. Truly.
I was thinking the same thing. When you compare the pic from the first time she wore this outfit and now, she looks like she’s aged a lot.
Maybe she is really taking care of the children? Just a guess.
If she takes anything to help her sleep or deal with anxiety, it will age her as well and results in significant bags. My mother took anxiety medication (she had great skin and was very attractive) and it ran her down significantly.
Well, now that is a depressing thought. My mom took anti- anxiety meds for years, and hopefully, she has good genes (which I hopefully inherited) because her skin looks great. Shee takes care not to sun too much and always uses sunscreen. But, the anti-anxiety meds helped take the sadness out of her face and eyes. When she was feeling better, she just looked better.
Happy that she took some length off but I wish she would style it differently but baby steps! As for the tiara. It’s not a good fit. Diana owned it! With her eyes and that megawatt smile Diana wore the tiara and I felt like the tiara wore kate.
She looks a thousand times better with that haircut and her skirt is too short. That’s all I’ve got.
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About time! She or Jason must have been reading this blog and/or magazine comments about her hair. It’s amazing how lopping her hair made such a huge difference in freshening her looks. I agree that the dress looks wayyyyy better with the matching belt. I wish she burned that ugly black belt too. Overall a good day for Kate.
However, my favorite is that guy in a suit with high heels. What a riot!!
All I can say is that you can really see the difference short hair makes. There seemed to be a bit of wind during the event but hair didn’t really fly all over her face then compared to her last outing in November. If she just wore he hair like this when she made her speech maybe that outing could have gone better.
I do wonder though if this is really the start of her doing more royal work. Is the “she will hit the ground running” stories finally coming true? A speech, a state banquet, a diplomatic reception, and, begrudgingly, a new tiara, in just one year? If by next year this kind of attitude continues I think I would be more willing to say good job to them.
Great point about the wind not being the major factor it usually is. Another plus. Glad too that the charities were able to pull in some much needed funds and that W&K are tangibly helping. Good day for the Cambridge duo.
I don’t know if this is really the start of “she will hit the ground running”, as she is only “working” 4 days this month and last month was only 6-7 days I think.
Oh my stars!
Kate cut her hair!
Someone has been reading your blog KMR!
(if this isn’t a sign that you need to keep blogging then I don’t know what is??)
I’m wondering if the better hair is due to Kate going back to her old hairdresser and not using Amanda? It was suggested that all Kate has had done was have the long extensions removed, I think this was a good idea and will let her real hair shine through.
the outfit is ok, better worn with the belt that would have come with the jacket instaed of the vile belt she worn with it last time. The skirt would have looked better if she had worn a slip underneath and wouldn’t have pulled when she took long strides.
Nice to see them both out supporting this charity event, as well as the other celebrities too.
I think I am in a minority here but I loved her long hair. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the fringe, but her long hair always made her look like a fairytale princess. Her hair always reminded me of a brunette Sleebing Beauty. I think the issue was styling. It was in her face during day events and speeches but tied up for the banquets and premieres when it could have been flowing and out. I think she played it safe with her hair styles too. If she was a bit more adventurous I don’t think there would be as many complaints about her looking boring. Her new hair cut still looks nice though. I don’t think she ever looks bad. I just prefer it long.
I think her longer hair would have looked great if she had layered to frame and soften her face–so I understand your perspective.
I am totally loving this cut on Kate!!!! It fits the fringe much better than the longer curls and imo it’s a much younger and fresher look. I can only imagine that she’s loving how much lighter her hair feels now, having gone from long to short myself.
I have to respectfully disagree KMR, I actually liked the black belt better than this matching belt. Imho, Kate has a long torso and the black belt helped break that up and gave her torso and waist a more defined look. I can still see her walking down the concourse with the Queen, arms at her sides, shoulders back and great posture, she was the picture of confidence and ease. Unfortunately, today she has reverted to her poor posture and for me it throws the whole look off.
All that being said today was definitely a sartorial win for the Duchess.
Lastly, since the money earned today also benefited Princess Sofia’s Project Playground how great would it have been if her and Carl Phillip were there as well. I would’ve given anything to be a fly on the wall it that were the case.
I would have loved if Sofia had been there as well and to have gotten a pic with Kate and Sofia. That would have been amazing.
Yay for Kate’s haircut!!!
I really like this outfit. I liked it better with the fascinator – helping keep her hair away from her face and eyes – and I think I’m the only one that likes the black belt better. I kinda like the contrast, just think that black belt isn’t nice at all. Isn’t it “old” looking?
Anyway… I also want to share that my husband met all the York ladies – Fergie, Beatrice and Eugenie – at the charity day held on September 11th here in NY (with ICAP’s competition). He said they were all very pleasant and friendly and a broker fell in love with Beatrice… even after meeting MISS UNIVERSE and last year’s Miss Universe! (they now tease that broker by calling him “the prince” lol)
Oh, and only one of them was on the guest list but all 3 attended on the actual date.
Very cool. Fergie spoke at an anti-trafficking seminar that I attended–and she did some risky behind the scenes work. I guess people underestimated her–but she did seem very nice and real.
Well, this is an interesting take on the Kate’s haircut.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3353314/Is-Kate-turning-MOTHER-Duchess-Cambridge-looks-uncannily-like-Carole-haircut.html
One of the first photos I saw of Kate today made her really look like her mom. I am glad Kate didn’t go shorter or else she would look even more similar to her mom, especially with the bangs.
That’s the first thing I thought. I had to do a double take asi thought that Scarole did the engagement with Will. You gotta give me two Scaroles in this thread. Sorry. Old habits does hard.
What I find interesting is a lot of her clothes from 2012 now seem to be loose and ill-fitted in some parts. The top of this suit seems very crinkly especially the arms. I wonder if its just bad tailoring because even though she’s just as thin as before, her waist is a bit wider after pregnancy (not a criticism, thats just a common thing that happens because the ribs expand for the baby), so they had to adjust the clothes a little.
I love the cut! And it also seems she took out a few extensions. Not only is it shorter, it looks less heavy. She also didn’t seem to fiddle with it as much.
Am I the only one that seems to think even the eye makeup is less harsh? I know it’s the same thick liner, but it doesn’t look as dated as before. It seems slightly blended more than normal.
I could do without the manic grins showing fake teeth. Any picture you see her grinning like a maniac, no one else is smiling like that.
You know, if you watched the videos that matched the photos, the faces didn’t look so odd..She could be very expressive, insecure, or both.
Her smile is not very photogenic, that’s all. She seems fine in videos.
About her eye makeup, I peered in the photo and it seemed to me that she used a lighter eyeshadow this time. I think it’s a light blue.
*APPLAUD* “Champagne… champagne for everyone!!” (c. Bubbles Devere)
Good for her. She actually listened! Or at least Jason did. Congrats KMR!
Well, it may just be me, but I started to feel like visiting a Subway sandwich shop. You know, build your own sandwich sort of thing, but instead, this is “build your own duchess”. Not a bad thing of course, being offered an empty plain bun and we get to build our own sub. At least the butter is already smeared. Just need to see what kind of veggies and meat they are offering. Let’s just hope that it isn’t going to be a low-cal sub with only pickles and two pieces of lettuces.
Lol! Now I want a sub.
Kate chopping off the fake hair is like a Christmas gift for us all 😉
Yay for Kate! I was so excited when I commented last night ( I am in Australia and saw the pics on FB before I went to sleep). She looks a lot better. Glad to see that #poorjason reads the blog. Now if we can only get those work days up a bit next year….baby steps.
Yes baby steps!
I will call this a win. I did like the black belt. I think an obi would have been perfect for some flair. The matching greend is too expected. The skirt was a bit short. But, baby steps for now. Her makeup was nice and lightly applied. And omg, the weave is gone. Her hair is fine without it. It was too bulky and poorly sewn in. I loved her hair color at her wedding and really wished she would return to that.
I will call this visit a win. She had fun, she raised money, and she took the mickey out of Will. Will, being Will, threw some shade when he teased her about flirting. I liked this side of Kate. She was playful and had a good time. It’s obvious that she gets on with men easier than women and that’s fine. I hope that they place her in engagements that suit her and her personality.
I’m going to give her a solid B+. Oh, did you notice the pic above her that said BWA (Brokers With Attitude)?
Awesome post, KMR. I’m so glad that you’re back.
Quick fashion question Rhiannon, don’t you think the obi belt would a bit much with the peplum?
I really like obi belts but I don’t about with the peplum flair, maybe. It’s rather early here and I haven’t had my coffee yet so my fashion brain cells aren’t yet firing on all cylinders.
Depends on how thick the obi is. And how she knots it. I have an obi that is about 1.5 inches wide. I made a cute little side knot to the side when I wore a peplum. The detail was so small that many though that it was a slight belt buckle.
I much preferred the black belt from when she wore this outfit the first time. I think the matchy-matchy belt is dated. However, I give her tons of brownie points for wearing actual business clothing with a suit jacket. She also has an “adult” haircut now.
Also, where are there pics that show her (former) weave/extensions? I haven’t been able to tell in the past. I also haven’t been looking that hard…
Yes, a haircut! Jason is indeed reading the blog! I am all for chopping several inches off her hair and she did it! Good news. Makes her look younger. As for the color, it looked different tin different photos. Sometimes, a tad too light to compliment her complexion. But, a HAIRCUT!
Now, that is progress.
As for the dress, it didn’t do it for me. The color was very pretty, but the style was really not to my taste. And, as Rhiannon said above, it was too short, particularly during her table tennis game, when it rode up and gave more than a major leggy look, which let’s face it, Kate seems to enjoy giving.
As for the couple having a good time at the event, that is nice. It is better to see them interacting in a positive way. Lately, William seems almost always stuck in grouchy mode. Just what he has to be so angry about defies my reasoning. It was nice to see him and Kate looking happier.
I think this hair cutting is definitely one for the 12 good things list. Now, as others have said, if she could get it layered or something else done to it, she would look even better.
I saw the article in DM about how she’s starting to look like Carole. Somehow I think she would consider that a compliment.
Her hair looks great, so much better, and I am with you KMR, I like 2015 look better. #Babysteps.
Oh she cut her hair – how much ??? 2-3 inches – I really don’t see any difference. Her hair still looks long.
As for her outfit I liked it the first time and I like it now but I am telling you – I can’t stand these black pumps on her again – I hate them. It looks like she is extremely narrow-minded with her choice of shoes.
I don’t know why – but more she is trying to be cheerful and all in exaggerating smiles the more she looks miserable and so SO unnatural and untrue
http://us.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2015120928711/prince-william-kate-middleton-stop-flirting/
I know that after that commotion on KMR blog few days ago many ladies were trying to change the tunes and be nicer in their opinion but in fact I don’t see the point if there is no real change in Kate except maybe 2-3 inches shorter hair. I didn’t want to interfere then because these kind of disputes always make me much more passionate that I wish to be and I am sure I wouldn’t be peaceful addition to that discussion. Nevertheless I want you to know KMR that in my opinion your blog is perfectly balanced and I totally value what you do for others and mine entertainment – please never stop and stay true to your beliefs even if somebody trying to make you doubt about that.
Back to Kate – I need to say that I was very sad abut her wearing Diana’s tiara two days ago- it’s like some kind of era ended at that moment. Now the duchess of Dolittle wears the tiara which belonged once to princess of DoSOMuch. Isn’t that sin ??? Actually it made me so upset that I wasn’t able to comment that. It’s so unfair !!!
And one last thing – when I saw that picture of Will and his face expression in that car I thought to myself – what an unpleasant man he is. He looks like person terrible hard to please. Kate’s body was turned toward him like she wanted to do something about that but he couldn’t care less. It made me pity her so much. You know ladies – no world of glitz, expensive dresses, jewels and houses can substitute honestly caring and loving man by your side.
Totally agree with you. P.W. seems like a miserable man, and isn’t he a bit young to be so bitter-looking?
Last thing I will add…she does look younger. With added layers, she will look better today, just getting a better view from today’s engagement.
It’s a win today to be sure. But the problem is that as long as they are “based” at Anmer, it will always be like this. A week, maybe two on in London — and then total and complete radio silence. Remember, no pictures of them out and about, etc. Doesn’t it seem like they’ve been in London for quite some time now though?
II knew it! Kate was going to cut it shorter! Pretty soon she will blonde her hair like Diana! She wants to b her all out except say my marriage is perfect! But it is annoying! The picture of princess Di in the same dress she was in recently and the same tiara!!. When will Kate get her own identity! Not someone elses,!!!
Just a bit of flippancy: http://www.chattyfeet.com/products/kate-middle-toe-socks-gift
Hope it doesn’t lower the to[e]ne *automatic groan at pun*
If those were all teal with the pink accents those would actually be cute. The face make them a bit weird for me, though.
It’s from a site that makes socks illustrating famous people with puns of their names. The bangs/fringe are in full force with a great mane of hair, though the grin is more reined in. Not sure I’d want Kate staring back at me x 2!
They also got her blusher right. Just a little too much…lol
I think Kate’s new hair do is the best I have seen it. I am not sure about the bangs. I think they could be a bit more centre but other than that I like it. I like the green outfit with the belt. It co-ordinates better. It looked like Prince William and Kate had a fun day but I found the comments that William made uncomfortable. That just isn’t funny for me. Keep up the good work Kate.
I don’t think the cut is all that flattering, but I am thrilled that she finally cut it to an appropriate length. Not having all the extra extensions and padding really thins her hair and is a bit of a shock, but is a huge improvement on the longer hair. She looks older, but I’d rather see a Royal look not their best, yet be appropriate than vice versa. The pencil skirt is a big win! More of that, please. Pencil skirts after flattering on most people, professional and not likely to cause wardrobe malfunctions. I hope she keeps going in this direction.
I am pleased to see that Catherine looks like an adult, and someone in her 30s, rather than a teenager. The hair makes all the difference. That said, I believe “the transformation” is due to removing the stale extensions, and getting a decent trim. I HATED her long hair, which looks matted, dragged-down and totally messy for a royal. The extensions made her look like a second-rate actress from a bad play from another century. I do believe this woman is making an effort, but that’s still up for debate; let’s see how long it lasts. I do wish Catherine the best. She is married to a very difficult man; petulant, spoiled, indulged, but maybe she reflects those traits as well. They both have a terribly, terribly, long way to progress before they can claim status as genuine royals and not brats who have been spoon fed position, money, status and privilege. However, others have been born into such situations and made the best of it. Best wishes, and hoping dresses do not fly up, revealing no panties on display, no bored looks and a genuine interest in helping those less fortunate.
Lisa S. i respect your opinion! Waitykatie is married to spoilt, petulant & difficult man. Kate chose to marry William, i do not feel sorry for KM. The duchess new what type of guy he was! anytime she did not like the situation kate could have left him. Kate is also petulant, spoilt & difficult! Just my opinion!