After seven weeks away, the Prince and Princess of Wales have arrived at their first official engagement at the Natural History Museum in London for a cause that’s close to their hearts, with Kate showing off her stunning new look
Prince and Princess of Wales at Natural History museum
The Prince and Princess of Wales have returned to their royal duties following the summer break with a visit to London’s Natural History Museum today.
Kate, who is a patron of the museum, wore a casual shirt and blazer combination for the meeting, and showed off her striking new blonde hair colour. Pictures first hinted at the Princess of Wales’ new look while she, along with the rest of the royal family, were on holiday in Balmoral last month.
William and Kate greeted by the museum’s director Doug Gurr at the gates of the iconic London institution before heading inside to officially kick off the return to their royal duties. The royal visit to one of London’s most popular museums comes the day after the new term began for the couple’s children, who all attend the private Lambrook School near Ascot in Berkshire.
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Kate’s new look marks a shift from her trademark brunette style, with her hair appearing several shades lighter. A source told the Mirror: “Every summer the Princess of Wales’ hair appears lighter because of the sun.”
During their visit, they met children taking part in learning programmes in the attraction’s gardens, speaking to the youngsters and joining activities aimed at helping them connect with nature and boost biodiversity in central London. When they arrived to meet the school kids, the Prince and Princess were welcomed by a downpour of rain, as they huddled together under umbrellas to stay dry.
William and Kate were shown how cutting-edge technology is being used in the garden to inform the museum’s conservation and research biodiversity projects.
The couple then joined schoolchildren from Lewisham in south London to take part in a pond dipping session, before meeting students from Manchester who have been creating new habitats on their school grounds through the National Education Nature Park initiative.
More than 7,500 schools, colleges and nurseries have got involved in the project to transform their grounds into nature-rich spaces – boosting biodiversity, green skills and wellbeing – under the project led by the museum working with the Royal Horticultural Society and commissioned by the Department for Education.
The gardens opened in 2024 featuring grassland, wetland and woodland habitats and are said to serve as a living laboratory, where visitors and scientists can identify and monitor wildlife in an urban environment.
Environmental innovation and connecting young people to nature are issues close to Their Royal Highnesses’ hearts. Through The Earthshot Prize, Prince William spotlights and celebrates innovative solutions from around the world which aim to tackle the biggest environmental challenges our planet faces.
Both The Prince and Princess are passionate about the power of spending time in nature. The Princess is currently spearheading a project, ‘Mother Nature’, which highlights humanity’s longstanding connection to nature, as well as nature’s capacity to inspire us, through a series of films celebrating the changing seasons across the UK. The summer episode of the Mother Nature films was released last month, while she also urged society to “reconnect to nature and celebrate a new dawn within our hearts” in a voiceover for Spring.
In 2019, Her Royal Highness launched the ‘Back to Nature’ garden at the Chelsea Flower Show to spotlight the power of nature in enriching early childhood development. The Princess has also had a long-time relationship with the Scouts which focuses on enabling children and young people to experience the outdoors and natural world.
