Incredible royal transformation of Kate Middleton – how Princess of Wales looks better than ever

How does she do it?

Whether she’s nipping to the shops, hopping on the Tube, or undertaking a mammoth schedule of royal engagements, the Princess of Wales always looks immaculate.

We rarely see a hair out of place – and you can forget smudged mascara, patchy foundation or chipped nails.

In fact, mother-of-three Kate looks even better now in her 40s than she did in her 20s; from her glowing complexion to her enviable bouncy brunette locks.

Of course, she has a top team whose job it is to ensure she embodies perfection.

But since entering the royal spotlight in the early 2000s, Kate’s look has changed dramatically.

She has transformed from the bronzed girl next door, running around St Andrews University and partying with Prince William, to an elegant future Queen.

Yet, her evolution also appears to be skin-deep. Kate seems to have a newfound confidence and in the last decade she has been given the most important role of her life – becoming a mother.

She also keeps in fabulous shape and is known to lead a very active lifestyle in her free time.

Earlier this year, the royal revealed that she fits in a workout whenever she can. 

‘I do it all,’ she said. ‘Whenever I can squeeze in exercise I do, even jumping on the trampoline with the children before school.’ 

And her go-to exercise? The Plank. 

A royal insider previously revealed: ‘Kate is an exercise junkie. Pippa and Kate take their toned physiques extremely seriously. And mother Carole, in her 60s, is in extremely good shape.’

Whatever she’s doing, it’s working. Here we take a look at Kate’s transformation…

Kate in her 20s 

While at university, Kate embraced the carefree and youthful look, like many Sloanes of this age.

She opted for preppy clothes – and was rarely without a trusty smart blazer teamed with a tea dress or dressed down with jeans. 

Her natural brunette locks were usually left loose, cascading past her shoulders in waves.

Celebrity hairstylist Dionne Smith said: ‘Her hair reflected everything that she encapsulated – a youthful, fun, modern woman’.

Kate was also known for heavy eyeliner on her waterline, as well as her dark eyebrows that lacked the defined arch she now has. 

If she wore foundation, she opted for one that had a very light coverage and she veered towards gloss or subtle pink lipstick. 

‘Kate in her 20s is like all of us,’ says Alice Hare, the Daily Mail’s junior style editor.

‘All of us go through that transition from student to working, but she went through something so much bigger – from nobody to one of the most photographed women in the world.  

‘I think she did it with great ease and elegance.

‘There are those engagement pictures from November 2010 when she’s wearing that beautiful dress by Issa and that I think is the beginning of her transition into a princess.’

Another turning point came ahead of her wedding to Prince William in 2011, when Kate was 29. She toned down her look and her eyeliner appeared less harsh.

Surprisingly, Kate decided to do her own make-up for her wedding day after taking lessons from Arabella Preston, a make-up artist who specialises in bridal beauty.

Her skin looked moisturised and glowy, using blush only on the apples of her cheeks, combined with a light foundation, lashings of mascara and a warm brown eyeshadow on the socket.

Michelle Abels, co-founder of Mishel Makeup, previously said of Kate’s look: ‘The effect was stunning. Her own natural make-up was perfect for a bridal look, concentrating on the eyes and keeping things natural otherwise, with pinky brown blushers and lipsticks.’

Alice added: ‘It was a really bold and interesting decision, but one that definitely paid off.

‘And she knew her own face, she knew what she liked. It was a great choice and she looked fantastic.’

Kate in her 30s 

Kate’s wedding marked the beginning of a transformation as she entered her 30s and early years of marriage, as well as her first years as a working royal. 

During her first decade in the firm, her make-up became more refined, subtle and elegant. 

Make-up artist Olivia Todd said previously: ‘She looks progressively more primped and preened and elegant in early marriage.

‘Her skin is nourished and radiant from beautiful skincare and her cheekbones, eyes, brows are subtly enhanced with careful placement of makeup to achieve a natural, yet polished look.’

It was during these years that Kate began to adopt her signature bouncy blow-dried hair style.

The Princess also started to experiment with her hair colour, opting for honey-coloured highlights, while also trying a middle parting.

Celebrity hair stylist Dionne Smith said: ‘There was never a hair out of place, but it still looked youthful thanks to its vibrancy and volume.

‘It’s also the time we started to see Kate move from a side parting to a middle parting, following popular trends and fashion, as well as subtle caramel highlights which warmed up her face beautifully.

‘At formal events, we saw a lot of half up looks, or loosely pulled up dos which retained an air of “young woman”.’

Kate was also still a big fan of heavy black eyeliner on her waterline. 

Stylist Alice added: ‘Kate’s 30s are when she’s in classic Kate mode – the things that we know her really well for; those coat dresses by Catherine Walker, who is a London designer and was actually one of Princess Diana’s favourite designers.

‘A lot of her tour outfits are by Catherine Walker and Alexander McQueen. She wore a lot of both of those designers on her tour to Canada in 2016, as well as Jenny Packham.

‘Lots of coat dresses, lots of skirt suits, the classic sort of look we think of when we think of Kate.’

Kate in her 40s

Fast forward to the 2020s, Kate’s look has continued to evolve into a dazzling mother-of-three, becoming more regal in stature and style.

‘She is looking her best in her 40s and looking better than she ever has,’ says Alice.

‘So far in her 40s, she has gone for a slightly more fashion forward take on things. Of course she still loves the odd high street piece. She wore some £17.99 earrings from Zara to the BAFTAs in February.

‘But generally, her outfits in her 40s have been by some really high end designers that have a step above those that she was wearing in her 30s.

‘There is still a lot of McQueen and Alessandra Rich, who has become one of her absolute favourite designers and she’s worn her for lots of important moments in the past couple of years. 

‘Kate in her 40s is a bit more high fashion, which I am loving.’ 

The Princess has also abandoned the bronzed look favoured in her early 20s, and her hair has become more structured than in years gone by when she would just let it hang loose around her shoulders.

She has ditched her dark circles of eyeliner, opting for a flick on the upper eyelid instead.

Laura Kay, Make Up Expert and Founder of Laura Kay London previously told FEMAIL: ‘Kate was known for wearing heavy black eye liner which she would apply all around the inner of her lower eye lid.

‘This was trendy in the early noughties but when applying her own make up Kate still preferred this make up look well into her thirties.

‘Kate has always look glamorous, but you can see over the past few years she has had somewhat of a make up revolution and is looking more on trend than ever.’

Laura continued: ‘Whether day or evening Kate now prefers deep smokey brown and bronze hues, and her whole eye make up is blended for a softer yet more striking effect.

‘This is very cleverly done because even though her make up may appear more dramatic/heavy when being applied, it appears more subtle and natural in the flesh and on camera.

‘Her brows have seen the biggest transformation, they are full and bushy compared to her younger brow style when they were thinner and tightly pencilled.

‘The defined brows suit her face structure and bring out her best features.

‘She is also not afraid to try trends by embracing new techniques that compliment her appearance.

‘She now also mixes up lip colours and her complexion is more dewy than in her earlier years as a Royal when she opted for a more matte foundation look. She has recently become a fan of bronzer and a cream highlighter to contour her face perfectly.’

She added: ‘Her make up looks more youthful now and she looks even younger than she did in her 20s. She is definitely talking to the experts and I think we will see lots of regal glamour from Kate as she embraces her 40s.’

Aside from her physical appearance, there is also a new sense of confidence within the Princess. While public speaking once filled her with dread, leaving her to occasionally stumble over her words, she now has a renewed sense of confidence.

She has updated her wardrobe to reflect her aim as a modern working royal. We now frequently see her wearing trouser suits, elegant Catherine Walker coats and bold designer blouses. 

She has swapped her clutch bags for a collection of ‘top handle’ bags in all shapes and sizes.

During the King’s Coronation in May she looked every inch a princess in her stunning tiara. 

And it saw the return of a defined smokey eye with lashings of chocolate brown eyeshadow. 

‘All eyes were on this woman who has evolved into a staggering beauty with world class style and who has honed her taste over the years into something exquisite,’ Plum Sykes wrote in the Mail on Sunday.

”Royal’ dressing can sometimes lead to a stiff, bourgeois look. Kate has elegantly avoided this and next to her European peers, she stands out as a lesson in grown-up glamour.’