Kate Middleton Debuts Darker Hair for Winter After Celebrating Her 40th Birthday

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty; Alastair Grant - WPA Pool/Getty Kate Middleton

New year, new hair for Kate Middleton!

Kate and Prince William stepped out on Wednesday for their first outing of 2022, visiting the Foundling Museum, which tells the story of the 18th-century Foundling Hospital — the U.K.'s first children's charity.

During the holiday break (which included celebrating her 40th birthday on Jan. 9), it seems Kate paid a visit to her hairdresser — she debuted a darker color and slightly shorter style for the outing. She also returned to her signature bouncy blowout after experimenting with curly looks in recent months.

London-based hairstylist Daniel Galvin Jr., whose father was among those who styled Princess Diana's hair, recently told PEOPLE that Kate shines at choosing the right style for any occasion.

"She always chooses a look that really suits her, a look that she feels confident with and she looks radiant," he said.

RELATED: Kate Middleton and Prince William Step Out for Their First Royal Outing of the Year

Dominic Lipinski/PA Images via Getty Images Kate Middleton

For Wednesday's outing, Kate wore a black turtleneck and trousers topped with a knee-length teal coat.

But what also grabbed the public's attention was her choice of accessories: her earrings were a $9.50 pair from Accessorize that was recently on sale for under $3 (they are now sold out!).

Dominic Lipinski/PA Images via Getty Images Prince William and Kate Middleton

Kate recently starred in three portraits released for her 40th birthday. Photographer Paolo Roversi opened up to Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera about working with the Duchess of Cambridge, saying he wanted to keep the portraits "contemporary" by using "only natural light, little makeup and no hairstyle."

The pair also took inspiration from royal portraits of the past — ranging from Princess Alexandra of Denmark (who went on to become the Princess of Wales and Queen consort to King Edward VII following the death her mother-in-law, Queen Victoria, in 1901) to Kate's grandmother-in-law Queen Elizabeth.

Kate also showed Roversi works by mid-19th century artists Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Sir David Coyle Burne-Jones "to give me inspiration."

Paolo Roversi Kate Middleton on her 40th birthday

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The portraits will enter the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery, of which Kate is Patron. Ahead of the Portrait Gallery's re-opening in 2023, the photographs will be part of its Coming Home project, a nationwide initiative that sees portraits of well-known individuals being sent to locations that they are closely associated with.