Royal Stylist Shares the Surprising (and Easy!) TikTok Hair Hack for Perfect Kate Middleton Waves

How to get perfect loose waves and maintain sideswept curtain bangs just like the Princess of Wales

Kate Middleton's new hairstyle might be easier to recreate than you think!

The chic royal mom recently debuted a fresh look for autumn: curtain bangs and longer-than-ever tousled waves.

"I think it’s added a softness around her face and a lift to the hair," Michael Van Clarke, an award-winning hairdresser who styled Princess Diana back in the 1980s, tells PEOPLE. "Fringes do need a bit more styling maintenance, but they're very versatile."

While achieving the fringe is trickier than it looks, the loose waves can be styled using a variety of techniques.

“You need to use large barrelled tongs, flat irons or — even better — use a no-heat version by wrapping your hair around soft sponge rollers or even a toweling robe belt, which is a technique you see on TikTok a lot! It’s actually very easy to do! It’s basically replicating the old idea of wrapping hair in rags, but it works," he says.

Related: Kate Middleton Shows Off Her New Bangs! See Photos of the Princess of Wales' Fringe from Every Angle

As for the center-parted side-swept bangs, Van Clarke, who has run his eponymous salon in London’s Marylebone neighborhood for over 35 years, says less is more: "I would use a dryer and a round brush, but a heated brush may be easier at home. Just be careful not to put too much curl in. This look on the Princess of Wales is subtle — it’s meant to look like it fell naturally like that."

As with most styles, much of the work is in the preparation.

"I would use a product like my Eureka! Blowdry Balm, which acts as a heat protector, shine enhancer and curl enhancer – you apply it to wet hair, comb it through and style," he says.

For those not blessed with Kate’s thick lustrous locks, he also recommends his Thicker Quicker Blow Dry Spay "that would go on after the heat protector.”

Having styled many European royals over his career, Van Clarke, famous for his dry-cutting technique, says he understands why so many royal women opt for longer hair.

"I think long hair is more reliable, it’s more likely to stay doing what it’s supposed to do and once it’s blow-dried, the weight of it helps hold the style," he explains.

Princess Kate, known for her signature big bouncy blowout, has been a client at Richard Ward since her university days and has been loyal to the salon ever since. In 2015, she debuted a darker shoulder-skimming style, again with side-swept bangs. At the time, her stylist Ward told PEOPLE: "It’s a practical style and a great option for a mum who has had long hair, who has a busy life and is short on time – it’s slightly more sophisticated but with all the benefits of long hair.”

Related: Kate Middleton's Best Hair Looks Through the Years

While her “royal lob” was the shortest we have ever seen Kate’s hair, she has experimented with bangs on numerous occasions. She even graduated from St. Andrews University in 2005 with a slight side fringe.

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"She’s got good hair, and she maintains it very well,” says Van Clarke, the recipient of 16 British hairdressing awards. "What’s nice is that when the hair is back, the look at the front is much softer — it’s a positive change."

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