Kate Middleton Reportedly Makes Rare Comment About Her Hair Color

The world was abuzz back in late summer when famously brunette Kate Middleton’s hair was suddenly distinctly blonder—bronde, as they say.

The Princess of Wales, her husband Prince William, and their three kids ended their summer holiday at Balmoral, the royal family’s traditional late summer retreat, in late August, Kate with noticeably lighter hair as seen while driving to church alongside her family. By the time the future queen returned to official public duties on September 4, her hair was noticeably lighter—and now, it seems, we know why.

The Prince and Princess of Wales stepped out for a glamorous date night at the Royal Variety Performance on November 19, where they were the guests of honor at their sixth appearance at the annual event. Per The Daily Mail, actress Su Pollard caught up with Kate backstage at Royal Albert Hall, where Pollard told the princess, “I like your hair. It looks a lot lighter.”

To this, Kate reportedly responded, “It used to be brown, but it’s gone light in the sunshine.”

While many have speculated on the future queen experimenting with different hair colors—as she absolutely should if she wants to—celebrity hairstylist Adem Oygur also told The Daily Mail that other factors may influence how hair color appears outside of, well, color itself. “It’s very normal for hair to look different depending on lighting and styling, and that’s almost certainly the case here,” Oygur said.

At the Royal Variety Performance on Wednesday, the Princess of Wales wore a green velvet gown from German luxury brand Talbot Runhof, Queen Elizabeth’s Greville Diamond Chandelier Earrings, Queen Mary’s diamond link choker bracelet, and a clutch by Jenny Packham. Co-founder and designer Adrian Runhof told People that Kate looked “impeccable” in her dress, and added that the palace notified him about 30 minutes before the future queen stepped out that she would be in the brand’s design.

Noting that the “stretch velvet” makes the look feel “as comfortable as a pair of pajamas,” Runhof added that the brand is “very thankful to her.”

“We think she is great,” Runhof said. “We respect her, and it’s a great honor for us that she picked this dress, that she obviously liked it enough to buy it and select it for the event last night.”

He said that the design has been in the brand’s collection for many seasons, and speculated that she “found it in her wardrobe and thought, ‘Why don’t I wear this? It’s so beautiful.’”

Bethan Holt, fashion news and features director at The Telegraph, told People that the princess looked “amazing,” adding, “It was quite a daring look from her, which I think shows how confident and happy she is right now.”

“It was very [Princess] Diana,” Holt continued, adding that “Diana also had a penchant for sumptuous velvets and that slinky body-skimming silhouette. This gown felt like a nod to that.”