Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Beauty
    2. Hair

    Princess Kate has had a chic new haircut for autumn—now I want to copy her

    She's gone for one of autumn's biggest trends

    Shannon Lawlor's avatar
    By Shannon Lawlor
    Published 13 September 2023 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Princess Kate with loosely waves hair and curtain bangs
    (Image credit: Getty Images/Mark Cuthbert / Contributor)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    I'm not going to beat around the bush—Princess Kate has one of the best heads of hair I've ever laid eyes upon. As a beauty editor, I spend a lot of time looking at hair, and Kate's lengths are, without question, my favourite to look at. Her now iconic thick, voluminous, blown-out hairstyle has become one of the most defining hair trends of recent years. 

    So, when Kate stepped out on a royal engagement yesterday with a new haircut, you better believe I took notes. Yes, the Princess of Wales, my hair icon, has curtain bangs. Fringes are back, and she knows it. 

    Kate Middleton wearing her hair in curtain bangs

    (Image credit: Getty Images/Karwai Tang / Contributor)

    While fashion lovers have spent the last few hours admiring her McQueen trouser suit, I've been staring longingly at her new '70s-esque hairstyle. It's everything I want my hair to be. Her trademark loose, bouncy waves are now subtly framed with sweeping curtain bangs. Think Farah Fawcett, but Farah Fawcett as a princess in 2023. The look is polished, it's full of volume, it's expensive looking, and above all, it looks effortless.

    Kate Middleton wearing her hair in curtain bangs

    (Image credit: Getty Images/Max Mumby/Indigo / Contributor)

    It appears that Kate has also had a colour touch up for the upcoming season—opting for warm, honeyed balayage.

    And truthfully, despite the fact I've opted for the same, super-long, relatively shapeless balayaged hairstyle for well over a decade, even I'm feeling tempted to try out curtain bangs for autumn. They're low fuss, don't require constant upkeep (unlike autumn 2023's other major fringe trend, wispy bangs) and they add an element of pulled-together chicness that I crave from my day-to-day hair look. Thank you Kate, once again, for the inspo.

    You may like
    • The Rachel Hair on Gigi Hadid, created by hairstylist Dimitris Giannetos  Gigi Hadid Brought Back the 'Rachel' Haircut—So I Tried It Too, and My Hair Has Never Looked So Full
    • The long hair trend and the post-bob era I’ve Spent Two Years Growing My Bob—Turns Out, There's a Reason Long Hair Is Trending
    • Luke Hersheson My Life In Hair I Spoke to the Super Stylist Behind Victoria Beckham's Iconic Bob—Here Are His Thoughts on Great Hair
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Shannon Lawlor
    Shannon Lawlor
    Social Links Navigation
    Executive Beauty Editor

    Shannon Lawlor is the Beauty Director at Who What Wear UK. With nearly a decade of experience working for some of the beauty industry’s most esteemed titles, including Marie Claire UK, Who What Wear, Glamour UK, Stylist and Refinery29, Shannon’s aim is to make the conversation around beauty as open, relatable and honest as possible. As a self-confessed lazy girl, Shannon has an affinity for hard-working perfumes, fool-proof make-up products and does-it-all skincare.

    Read more
    The Rachel Hair on Gigi Hadid, created by hairstylist Dimitris Giannetos
    Hair Gigi Hadid Brought Back the 'Rachel' Haircut—So I Tried It Too, and My Hair Has Never Looked So Full
    The long hair trend and the post-bob era
    Hair I’ve Spent Two Years Growing My Bob—Turns Out, There's a Reason Long Hair Is Trending
     
     
    Luke Hersheson My Life In Hair
    Hair I Spoke to the Super Stylist Behind Victoria Beckham's Iconic Bob—Here Are His Thoughts on Great Hair
    @cristinachenii wears headscarf white dress
    Fashion Not Shoes or Bags—It's This One Small Accessory All of the Coolest People Are Using to Perfect Their Outfits
     
     
    Latest in Hair
    Charlotte Mensah Afro Hair
    Hair Charlotte Mensah Has Spent 40 Years Changing the Conversation Around Afro Hair—Now, Her Legacy Is Going on Display
    Ata-Owaji Victor on Black Hair
    Hair My Black Hair Doesn’t Need to Be a Political Manifesto—Why I’m Opting Out of the Trauma-or-Triumph Narrative
     
     
    The long hair trend and the post-bob era
    Hair I’ve Spent Two Years Growing My Bob—Turns Out, There's a Reason Long Hair Is Trending
    Heatwave hair loss and seasonal hair shedding
    Hair Heatwave Hair Shedding Is Real—Here’s How a Dermatologist Recommends Protecting Your Hair and Scalp
     
     
    Latest in Features
    Poppy Wang
    Fashion 5 Experts Explain the Nuances of the ‘Mandarin Jacket’ Trend
    Erborian Triple Care BB Milk
    Skincare I Thought My Dull, Lifeless Skin Needed More Actives—This Milky Essence Was Actually the Solution
     
     
    A woman working out in the gym and drinking a green juice
    Nutrition GLP-1s Could Change More Than Your Appetite: What We Know About Their Impact on ADHD, Brain Health and Libido
    Autumn Nail Trends 2026
    Nails From Fawn Print to Milky Matcha—These Are Autumn 2026’s Defining Nail Trends
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.