Unfiltered Look At Kate Middleton’s Supposed Hair Extension Fail Isn’t What It Seems

It’s no secret that Kate Middleton has undergone some dramatic hair transformations over the years, both before and during her royal journey. Granted, there were a few hairstyles even the future queen of England couldn’t pull off (though we’re not sure anyone can really pull off overly long bangs). As it turns out, though, one of Princess Kate’s perceived hair fails was actually nothing of the sort.

In October 2011, Kate — who had only recently become the Duchess of Cambridge by way of her marriage to Prince William earlier in the year — was photographed attending a charity event for the British non-profit In Kind Direct at Clarence House in London. At the time, royal watchers took notice of some discoloration on the side of Kate’s face, just barely hidden behind her hairline. Some media outlets went as far as to speculate that what they were seeing was hair extension adhesive.

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Not only that, but Kate’s hair in this photo has continued to gain attention well over a decade later. For instance, in January 2026, one user on X, formerly known as Twitter, included the photo as part of a post mocking the royal’s alleged on-camera hair mistakes, referring to Kate as “Ms. Temu.” However, the reality of the situation is that the Princess of Wales beat the hair extension allegations within a day of the photo being released. Back in 2011, a royal spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Mail that the mark on Kate’s temple was actually a scar she had been left with as the result of a “childhood operation.” And while the exact details remain under wraps, this certainly makes for an interesting coincidence as far as Kate’s husband is concerned.

In the 2011 Daily Mail report, the aforementioned royal spokesperson declined to reveal the exact nature of the surgery that left Kate Middleton with a scar on the side of her head. Additional royal sources were similarly tight-lipped on the details, though they did claim that the operation had been a “very serious” one. However, London surgeon John Scurr threw cold water on that particular claim while speaking with the outlet himself, speculating that Kate might have simply had a birthmark removed. Scurr added, “It is remarkable, given the measurement, that no one has noticed before.”

In any case, the amusing coincidence we mentioned is the fact that Kate’s husband, Prince William, actually has a scar on his own forehead, not too far from the same spot where Kate’s resides. Its visibility has somewhat faded with time, but it’s especially noticeable in older photos of the Prince of Wales. Unlike with Kate’s scar, though, there’s not too much mystery regarding the specifics of how William got his. During a BBC interview in 2009, the heir to the British throne discussed the golfing accident that permanently changed his face. “We were on a putting green and the next thing you know there was a seven-iron, and it came out of nowhere, and it hit me in the head,” he said.

Unfortunately, this would not be the last time one of Kate’s health-related episodes mirrored those of her husband and his family. In a tragic twist of fate, both Kate and William’s father, King Charles III, would announce their respective dancer diagnoses within the same two-month stretch in early 2024. Fortunately, however, Kate confirmed that her cancer was in remission in January 2025. Charles subsequently announced that he was able to reduce his treatments that December.