Catherine, Princess of Wales, appeared with subtly brighter blonde highlights during a rare summer sighting near Balmoral on August 23, 2026. The change looked lighter than her hair at the Commonwealth Games earlier that month, but not as dramatic as her ash-blonde look in 2025.
What happened at Crathie Kirk
On Sunday, August 23, Catherine traveled with Prince William and their three children to a service at Crathie Kirk, near the royal family’s Balmoral summer residence in Scotland. Harper’s Bazaar reported seeing her through the family’s Range Rover window; Marie Claire described the outing as a drive to church at Balmoral.
In the photographs, her hair appeared brighter, with subtle blonde highlights. The word “shocks” in some headline framing overstates the reported change: coverage described a restrained shift, also characterized as bronde, rather than a dramatic transformation.
How the color compares with her earlier looks
| Appearance | Reported hair look |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth Games, Glasgow, August 1, 2026 | Her earlier August shade; Harper’s Bazaar and Marie Claire said the August 23 look appeared lighter by comparison. |
| Crathie Kirk, August 23, 2026 | Subtle blonde highlights or bronde, as described by Harper’s Bazaar and Marie Claire. |
| Natural History Museum, London, September 4, 2025 | Vogue described her familiar chestnut-brown hair as significantly lighter and ash blonde; Marie Claire said the 2026 look was less dramatic. |
The comparison is visual and comes from coverage of the appearances; it does not establish a specific dye formula or a confirmed color change from Catherine.
#1 Best Overall
- SALON-INSPIRED HIGHLIGHTS: Create salon-worthy, customizable highlights at home with this all-in-one lightener kit. Use it for permanent highlighting, balayaging, frosting, and creating ombre hair
- 2 WAYS TO HIGHLIGHT: The easy-to-use LightZones Cap & Hook helps you create precise blonde highlights. Or skip the cap and paint on balayage streaks only where you want a lightening effect
- ANTI-BREAKAGE TECHNOLOGY: Bond Restore Complex technology causes less damage after achieving subtle or dramatic highlights
- BLONDE WITHOUT BRASS: Our violet-pigmented conditioner boosts color and banishes brassy tones
- CHOOSE YOUR SHADE: Pick between two sun-kissed ammonia-free and paraben-free shades. Honey for light brown, medium brown, and dark brown hair; Blonde for medium blonde, dark blonde, and light brown hair
What she wore
Marie Claire identified her outfit for the Balmoral outing as a Holland Cooper piecrust-collar blouse and a chocolate-brown Lock & Co. pillbox hat.
What is—and isn’t—known about the shade
Neither the cited coverage nor an official statement from Kensington Palace established why Catherine chose the lighter-looking shade. The reviewed reports also do not identify a salon, colorist, or hair products. Leslie Shores, a hair color specialist quoted by Marie Claire, described the bronde trend generally as adding “exotic warmth, depth, and dimension to the hair that feels like a golden hour.” That is commentary on the trend, not a description of Catherine’s particular hair.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Hi-precision pull-through cap highlights
- Two hooks for bold or subtle highlights
- Create perfectly precise even highlights
- For shorter hair
Rank #4
- Frost and Design's hi-precision pull-through cap for perfectly placed, professional looking highlights
- Customize your look with two hook options for bold or subtle highlights, or mix it up, with a sun-kissed glow
- Create perfectly precise, even highlights on long hair, perfect for hair length that goes past shoulders
- Frost and Design includes toning rinse to finish, so hair is shiny not brassy, and infused with extra shine
- Designed for no mess application, the box includes special non-drip formula, mixing tray, gloves, and overcap
Rank #3
- Customizable Hair Bleach Kit: Lighten all over, get gorgeous highlights or create an ombre effect to customize your unique Colorista look. Once your strands are lightened, get ready to play with Colorista Semi-Permanent Hair Color
- Oil-Rich Ammonia Free Hair Color Formula: Our hair color has been inspired by the pros and features a lusciously rich formula with no ammonia to bleach hair. Enriched with a high oil concentration for maximum care for the hair
- Anti-Brass Purple Conditioner: Our bleach hair kit comes with a purple conditioner with cool tones that conditions hair while neutralizing brassy tones and eliminating unwanted yellow colors
- L'Oreal Paris Hair Color: We offer permanent, semi-permanent, and temporary hair dye plus root cover up, anti-brass toners and lightening systems. Cover gray hair, highlight, go bold with bright color or even try an ombre hair color
- L'Oreal Paris Innovation: We are a total beauty care company that combines the latest in technology with the highest in quality for the ultimate in hair color, hair care, hair style, skin care and cosmetics
Rank #2
- Create the ultra precise blonde highlights you want with expert cap & hook. For light blonde to medium brown hair.
- The pack contains Highlighting Powder, Developing Cream, CC Colorseal Conditioner, Highlighting Cap, Mixing Tray, Highlighting Spatula and gloves.
- A salon technique that gives you beautiful, even highlights at home.
- Formulated with repair plex, giving 2x more repair for ultra precise blonde highlights.
Sources
- Harper’s Bazaar, Tiffany Dodson Davis, August 24, 2026.
- Marie Claire, August 24, 2026.
- Vogue, Morgan Fargo, September 4, 2025.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
