Do Royals Wear Hair Extensions? Here’s What We Know

Life as a royal may seem pretty swell, but it’s not always easy. Their schedule is often full of official engagements, state dinners, and luxurious galas that require them to look picture-perfect at any given moment. Considering they typically have to follow intense protocol dictating what they can wear and how they can wear it, this is no easy feat. Despite all the challenges surrounding their jobs, however, many royals manage to maintain an interesting sense of style. From Princess Catherine’s makeup transformation to Meghan Markle’s hair evolution, these public figures do their best to stay current — all while following royal rules.

When it comes to hair extensions, there is no protocol banning royals from engaging in this style trend. However, as with makeup or nail polish, the goal here is to be subtle. This goal, of course, has been realized with varying levels of success, as some royals have done a better job hiding their extensions than others. While experts claim that one or two royals definitely rely on extensions to pull off their impressive hairdos, they also claim one or two have yet to try out this popular trend.

For years, Princess Catherine’s brown locks have led royal watchers to wonder whether she uses hair extensions. Fans have speculated that she started wearing hair pieces as far back as her university days, with some believing that Catherine embraced the trend as soon as she started dating Prince William. The rumor mill really ramped up in September 2025 after the princess made a visit to the gardens of the Natural History Museum in London. During the visit, Princess Catherine debuted a drastic blond hair transformation that got people talking. “How embarrassing, you’ll make me blush,” she told her adoring fans on site as per a video of the encounter on TikTok. 

But although most royal fans applauded Catherine’s look as spectacular, others mocked her online. Some fans even claimed that Catherine’s hair looked so fake that she had to be wearing either hair extensions or a wig. Catherine subtly responded to the speculation by attending a silk screen printing engagement the following week — and allowing herself to be filmed wrapping her hair into a bun without the help of a hair tie. 

The Princess of Wales tries her hand at silk screen printing – she popped on an apron, tied her hair ip (without a band – how?! ) and then got stuck in! It shows just how much work goes into the handmade fabrics here at Marina Mill in Kent. pic.twitter.com/oJFAqjRWYF

— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) September 11, 2025

The maneuver would be nearly impossible to complete if wearing a wig. Plus, were Catherine wearing extensions, it would be tricky to tie up her hair without revealing the point of adhesion. Either way, though, royal hair stylist, Sam McKnight, told speculators to back off via an Instagram post condemning their comments.

Although former royal hairdresser, Sam McKnight, has warned Princess Catherine’s fans to leave her alone, not all hair experts feel similarly. One has gone so far as to have claimed that Catherine wears her specific brand of extensions. Indeed, Lisa Richard — founder of the RPZL extension brand — told Page Six that Catherine was on her client list. The brand is known for giving its wearers especially luscious hair for a very exorbitant price. Per the same report, RPZL extensions can set you back anywhere from $695 to $1,700. Despite this, Richard said that her product is cheaper than other modern beauty treatments. “Extensions are the new Botox. People will say, ‘Oh, I wish I had her hair.’ Now you can. It’s not like plastic surgery; it’s affordable luxury, and it makes women feel more secure. Your hair is your biggest thing,” Richard gushed.

Catherine is not the only royal said to love the RPZL brand. Princess Beatrice apparently wore one of the company’s headbands in a 2024 pregnancy announcement. While the headband in question did not contain any kind of secret hair clip or extension, it was pretty pricey at over $40. Beatrice’s use of the piece has also made fans wonder whether she has indulged in RPZL’s other products — although Richard did not say. That being said, the piece looked fantastic on her — especially compared to Princess Beatrice’s worst hair day ever.

Princess Catherine may potentially use hair extensions from time to time, but that doesn’t mean that she shirks the hair care that keeps Princess Beatrice and Meghan Markle looking great. Experts say that the Princess of Wales has kept her hair naturally long through a great deal of time and effort. Prize-winning hair specialist Michael Gray, even told Hello! that Catherine’s natural locks span an incredible 20 inches from scalp to ends.

Gray explained that Catherine likely gets frequent hair trims to maintain this impressive length. “When growing hair, I think a lot of people still forget you still need to have a haircut in the process for it to still be lovely, long and healthy. Mini trims every eight weeks,” Gray recommended. The stylist went on to say that Catherine’s choice to grow out her hair stands as proof that long locks can look good at any age. “During certain moments of women’s lives, hair changes, even when they get into their 40s. You can still maintain longer luscious hair like Princess Kate, as she is embracing her long hair now,” Gray explained.

While it’s hard to say whether or not Princess Beatrice is on the RPZL client list, rumor has it that the princess does wear hair extensions. When singer, Ellie Goulding, walked down the aisle with art dealer, Caspar Jopling, in 2019, Beatrice attended their nuptials with particularly spectacular hair. Her secret? According to a report in Hello!, extensions probably played a major role in keeping her look pristine. Apparently, at one point, a gust of wind hit the back of the princess’ head, revealing the place where the extensions had been added. The faux hair was said to be a tad lighter than Beatrice’s natural shade, giving her a bit of a glow.

Interestingly, the reporting surrounding Beatrice’s potential hair extensions was overwhelmingly positive. Although the women in the royal family are oftentimes criticized for veering away from traditional upper crust fashion choices, Beatrice was applauded for engaging in a new trend. This attitude, perhaps, goes to show that hair extensions are acceptable for royals in a way that bold makeup and cherry red nails are not. Considering how many princess have been torn apart for beauty moments that broke royal rules, Beatrice’s rumored hair extensions could be a good thing for the rest of the royal family.

Princess Beatrice may have worn hair extensions for one occasion or another, but there’s more to her hair health than this beauty accessory. Beatrice has been known to engage in a whole lot of hair care. This has helped her natural locks maintain their length, spring, and shine — even after she gave birth to her daughter, Athena, in 2025. As noted by Hello!, the princess was spotted with gorgeous “mermaid-worthy” locks just months after welcoming her daughter.

Speaking to the publication, haircare expert, Paul Windle, said that maintaining Beatrice’s locks postpartum was likely no easy feat. In his experience, hair can grow beautifully during pregnancy — only to decrease in volume afterward. “There can be a postpartum ‘pay back’ where the body focuses on vital organs and nutrition production, often resulting in the hair’s density and diameter decreasing,” Windle explained.

The fact that Beatrice has maintained such stunning hair is not just a result of extensions but also general care for her mane. Windle believes that Beatrice likely used physical exercise and sauna time to bring more blood to her scalp and stimulate hair follicles. “I am a massive believer in doing anything you can to boost circulation, which helps hair growth. Getting moving again can be key to boosting circulation, as well as saunas, which can help get circulation to your scalp,” the expert shared.

In 2025, Princess Eugenie was photographed at Royal Ascot with an interesting metal clip in her hair. Although the piece could have been used to secure the princess’ hat, stylists have likewise questioned whether it was actually a hair piece. On June 20, the princess wore a long, low pony tail down her back accessorized with a white, wide-brimmed hat. The following day at Royal Ascot, she wore her hair much shorter in a long bob adorned with a red hat, suggesting she wore a hair piece the previous day to give her hair more length. However, one extension expert also believes she wore a hair piece to add volume to her lob, too.

Speaking to Hello! about this possibility, extension expert, Tatiana Karelina, noted that Eugenie “stepped out in a vibrant red dress, and it’s possible she amped up her look with the help of a subtle hairpiece. The added volume and length gave her hair a fuller, cascading effect — especially when paired with the bold fascinator.”

Eugenie was applauded for what would be viewed as her clever use of an elegant style tool. Rather than respond disparagingly to the princess’ look, the media largely praised her. “If she did use a piece, it was beautifully color-matched and blended, giving a natural, seamless result,” Karelina added in the same interview. If these kinds of positive reactions continue, we may soon see that royal hair extensions will be around for a long time.

The royal family’s British-born princesses are not the only ones who have sparked rumors of hair extensions over the years. American actor, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has long inspired whispers of special hair treatments. Interestingly, however, a report in the The Telegraph revealed that Meghan likely did not get extensions during her time as a working royal. As her former U.K. hair stylist, George Northwood, told the outlet shortly after her 2020 move to North America, “People think that Meghan has had hair extensions, but I never put any extensions in her hair in the two years that I worked with her. It’s all her own hair, and it’s great to see it looking so long and healthy.”

In the same interview, Northwood went on to say that, in his view, the length of Meghan’s hair holds meaning. During her time as a working royal, the duchess apparently kept her hair short as a way to submit to protocol. Once back in her native land, however, she grew out her tendrils to signal a sense of freedom. “She’s making a statement with hair that long — it represents strength and a sense that she’s really got everything sorted. This straighter, longer hairstyle marks a new chapter in her life without such strict protocols,” Northwood explained.

Just because Meghan Markle’s former hair stylist told the world she goes extension-free does not mean she escaped further scrutiny. In 2024, following an interview with CBS, Meghan’s fans once again began to wonder whether she indulged in this beauty trend. After all, her long brown locks looked absolutely fantastic. Plus, Meghan has never been one to shy away from things that are good examples of self-care. 

Experts, however, say that Meghan likely did not use extensions in her interview. As Michael Gray, a stylist at John Frieda, told Hello!, “From the natural way her hair is sitting, and also looking back at previous, most recent images, it looks like her own hair.” The hair specialist went on to explain that Meghan’s hairstyle is more L.A. than London. “I loved how Meghan wore her hair in an off-centre parting, with a soft effortless, Hollywood wave,” Gray said. These California vibes seem to work well for the former working royal, who Gray described as a vision. “The hair doesn’t look too ‘done’, it’s very wearable, glossy with the shine bouncing off these flowing waves,” the stylist noted.