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When Kate Middleton arrived by carriage on her wedding day on April 29, 2011, she looked natural, fresh, and beautiful. At the time, royal fans were told she did her own makeup, but 14 years later, a new twist has emerged.
Celebrity makeup artist Bobbi Brown shattered that Kate myth on the Sept. 24 episode of the Breaking Beauty podcast — and we are floored! The makeup icon was there to promote her new book, Still Bobbi, but the hosts wanted to know more about the Princess of Wales using Bobbi Brown products on her big day. That’s when the jaw-dropping revelation was revealed.
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“I didn’t do her makeup. I wish I did,” Brown said. “It was one of my artists, Hannah Martin, who’s become quite a sensation in the U.K.” She then doubled down on the podcast to make sure they understood Kate did not do her own makeup. “Hannah did her makeup,” she confirmed.
TRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after getting married on April 29, 2011 in London, England.
Getty Images
Brown didn’t seem upset that neither her artist nor her company received the proper credit; she chalked it up to a different time in the beauty industry, especially with the royal family. “We didn’t as a company use it — no one did that back then. It wasn’t the right thing to do,” she added.
The 68-year-old makeup entrepreneur also added that Kate was gracious and had someone from her staff send them a note about “how much she appreciated the makeup.” So, it may feel like a snub in 2025, but for Brown, she felt like her company received the credit it deserved at the time. And it’s a fun story over a decade later.
It’s fascinating to see how the tale was spun over the years, though. A July 2021 article from The Zoe Report noted that Kate “did her own makeup, but had “private lessons with professional makeup artists Hannah Martin and Arabella Preston (and a Bobbi Brown artist stationed in the dressing room for the bridal party).” The story claimed that “Middleton did the heavy lifting” when it came to her makeup that day.
Kensington Palace has not responded to Brown’s claims, and likely won’t since they have stopped giving updates about Kate’s wardrobe in 2022. Still, the story added another fascinating layer to the fairytale day for the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Before you go, click here to see all of Kate Middleton’s best hair looks as a royal.
