Playing host to visiting heads of state would be enough to make anyone feel at least a little stressed, but Kate Middleton was reportedly feeling “shaken to her core” in the lead-up to Donald and Melania Trump’s state visit to the U.K., according to a royal source.
According a report from Radar Online, the source of the stress the Princess of Wales has been struggling with isn’t the high-profile state visit, but the onslaught of commentary—and criticism—about her appearance and speculation about her health.
Kate lightened her hair to a stunning “bronde” in the spring and briefly went more blonde than ever last month. In late August, the mother of three was photographed leaving a church service in Balmoral, Scotland with noticeably blonde locks, which she showed off more clearly while visiting the updated gardens at London’s Natural History Museum on September 4.
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The Princess of Wales with noticeably blonder hair during an appearance on September 4.
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The change was short-lived, however, and by September 8, Kate was back to her signature brunette look when she joined Prince William for a special visit to the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (WI) in Sunningdale, England.
According to Radar Online‘s report, Kate’s quick return to life as a brunette may have been at least partly due to the intense commentary her switch to blonde prompted online, which included speculation that the Princess of Wales was wearing a wig and speculation that the change in her hair was linked to her battle with cancer.
“This has been a very tough time for Kate,” a family source told Radar Online. “She returned from the summer prepared to face the cameras again, but the harshness of the remarks really unsettled her. The suggestion that her hair was tied to her illness struck her particularly hard.”
The criticism seemed to hit even harder because it was so unexpected, as another source told Radar Online that Kate expected people to be supportive following her battle with cancer—an expectation that, to be fair, seems objectively reasonable.
“Kate believed people would be supportive given all she has faced this past year. She was stunned by how fast the negativity over her new look spiraled,” the second source said. “It left her badly shaken—at one stage she even wondered how much more she could endure and stopped Googling things about herself.”
Kate Middleton wears a wine coat dress and a diamond brooch to greet Donald and Melania Trump at Windsor Castle on September 17, 2025.
(Image credit: Aaron Chown-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Not that anyone outside of the royal family’s inner circle could have guessed that Kate was feeling “badly shaken”—or shaken at all, for that matter.
Throughout the Trumps’ state visit, the Princess of Wales has appeared to be nothing short of radiant, inside and out, not allowing any inner turmoil she may be feeling to affect her as she performs her duties in the royal family.
“She accepts that, as a public figure, her looks will always be scrutinized,” a source described as a palace aide told Radar Online. “But after her diagnosis and recovery, she expected more compassion. Instead, trolls tore her apart over something as trivial as hair color—and it left her disheartened.”
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