Though it’s been rumored for years that Catherine, Princess of Wales, did her own makeup for her royal wedding to Prince William in April 2011, legendary makeup artist Bobbi Brown says that’s not quite true.
Brown shared behind-the-scenes details about the former Kate Middleton’s wedding day look — featuring a neutral lip color, pinkish blush and smoky eyes — in her new memoir, “Still Bobbi: A Master Class in Leading an Authentic Life.”
Brown writes in the book, which was published earlier this month, that Kate “wore Bobbi Brown Cosmetics on her wedding day, and one of my makeup artists in England did her makeup.”
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, on her wedding day to Prince William, April 29, 2011, in London, England.Paul Hackett/WPA Pool / Getty Images
“I was obsessed with the royal family,” she writes, “so this was a huge honor, as well as evidence that my concept of beauty had impacted the world. It was hard to believe how far makeup had taken me.”
Brown elaborated on Kate’s wedding day makeup when she appeared on the Sept. 29 episode of the “Breaking Beauty” podcast.
“I did not do (Kate’s) makeup. I wish I did,” Brown said. “It was one of my artists, Hannah Martin, whose become quite a sensation in the U.K.”
When one of the podcast’s hosts pointed out that the media reported at the time that Kate did her own makeup, Brown responded, “No, Hannah did her makeup.”
Makeup artist Bobbi Brown in 2018.Michael Loccisano / Getty Images
Brown said Martin hinted to her ahead of time that Kate would be walking down the aisle wearing Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.
“Hannah did give me some information that I should set my alarm and watch,” Brown recalled. “We were texting back and forth and she’s like, ‘Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.'”
Brown added that her company didn’t acknowledge at the time that the then-Duchess of Cambridge was wearing their products because “no one did that back then.”
“It wasn’t the right thing to do,” she explained.
But she does have a memento, of sorts, acknowledging her role in the wedding.
“I did get a note, though, that I guess I have hanging in my office,” said Brown, “not from Kate but from her person who wrote her letters saying how much she appreciated the makeup.”