Kate Middleton visited HMP High Down on Sept. 12 in her royal role as patron of The Forward Trust — and wore waves in her new haircut.Photo:Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty

Kate Middleton Rocks a Hair Change — Curtain Bangs! — in Fresh Style for Fall  Kate Middleton Rocks a Hair Change — Curtain Bangs! — in Fresh Style for Fall Â

Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty

Kate Middletonis beginning the fall with a bang.

The Princess of Wales, 41, visitedHMP High Downprison in Surrey, England on Tuesday, making the stop as patron of The Forward Trust ahead of Addiction Awareness Week in the U.K. Princess Kate stylishly arrived in a navy Alexander McQueen suit (the day after it was announcedher wedding dress designerSarah Burton was leaving the label as creative director) and wore waves in hernew haircut— giving a better glimpse of the hair change.

Catherine, Princess of Wales greets Bill Beaumont, chairperson of World Rugby at the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between England and Argentina at Stade Velodrome on September 9, 2023

The Princess of Wales wore abouncier blowoutwith more curls (plus abandageon her hand!) for the visit to the incarceration center on Tuesday, where she learned more about how inmates and their families are being supported through addiction. Addiction was one of the first issues Kate adopted after she marriedPrince Williamin 2011 and led to her championing mental health awareness, especially related to youth.

At HMP High Down, she saw firsthand howForward Trust, of which she is theroyal patron, helps those in the criminal justice system manage and recover from addiction. She shadowed the experience of a family visit to the facility, starting with the required security process, and heard about efforts to improve visits for kids. High Down, a men’s prison with around 1,100 inmates, has been working to try to ensure that it is a more positive experience, for children in particular.

Kate has been working with addiction charities for more than a decade, helping her understand “the complexities of mental health and has informed much of her work on the early years,” her office at Kensington Palace said. “Experiences in early childhood, before the age of five, are proven to have significant impact on adult lives, including resilience and the ability to cope with adversity.”

Kate Middleton visited HMP High Down on Sept. 12 in her royal role as patron of The Forward Trust.Kin Cheung - Pool/Getty Images

Catherine, Princess of Wales during a visit to HMP High Down on September 12, 2023 in Sutton, England

Kin Cheung - Pool/Getty Images

Kate’s fall fringe and darker hair color is a shift from how she had her hair over the summer. At theChelsea Flower Show,Royal Charity Polo Day,Wimbledonand a surprise family field trip to theRoyal International Air Tattoo, she wore her hair straight with a subtle side part — a simple style for busy days.

However, Kate has had practice with bangs in the past, and seems to get them cut every few years. She previously wore fringe in2015and2012, as well at her2005graduation fromSt. Andrews University, where she and William met.

Kate Middleton visits the Anna Freud Centre in London in 2015.Samir Hussein/WireImage

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visits the Anna Freud Centre on September 17, 2015

Samir Hussein/WireImage

The Princess of Wales might have a standing appointment for a fall hair refresh, as she changed her hair around this time last year. In September 2022, she stepped out withshorter, layered tressesthan she had had over the summer to attend a preview day withPrince George,Princess CharlotteandPrince Louisat theLambrook School.

Kate and William’s kids enrolled as new pupils at the private prep after the family relocated from London to Windsor, and the preview day photos were released to mark the milestone of a new school.

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Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis attend a preview day at Lambrook School with their parents Kate Middleton and Prince William in September 2022.Jonathan Brady - Pool/Getty Images

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis (C), accompanied by their parents the Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, arrive for a settling in afternoon at Lambrook School

Kate has also tried her hand at hair styling herself! During a 2021 video call with fellow parents, the royal mom opened up about taking on several new roles amid the coronavirus pandemic, including the one that her kids were less than thrilled about.

“As parents, we have day-to-day elements of being a parent but, I suppose, during lockdown we’ve had to take on additional roles that others in our communities or in our lives would have helped us with,” she said. “I’ve become a hairdresser this lockdown, much to my children’s horror.”

source: people.com