Kate Middleton Just Got a Haircut & We Almost Missed It

Kate Middleton just kicked off her royal tour of Ireland with a bang—or, rather, a lob.

The 38-year-old Duchess of Cambridge arrived in Ireland today looking on-theme in a green floral Alessandra Rich frock, a Catherine Walker coat and a hatband (duh). It was an ensemble so fitting of the Emerald Isle that we nearly missed the mom of three’s brand-new haircut.

As she and Prince William stepped off the plane in Dublin, her hair appeared to be just a bit shorter. If you take a look below, you’ll see the difference between her length at her Dear Evan Hansen outing last week (left) and what it looks like now (right).

See, her bouncy blowout was about two inches longer when the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William stepped out for date night at the theater. Today, she wore her refreshed lob straighter and let the ends curl up a touch. Although her hatband camouflages her long bangs, presumably they got a dusting off, too. Side by side, it’s easier to tell that any and all hair lengths look fantastic on the Duchess of Cambridge.

Today was the first of three days of her and the 37-year-old Duke of Cambridge’s official tour of Ireland. They’ve visited Northern Ireland several times in previous years, but this is their first time in Ireland, where they’ll pop into Dublin, County Meath, County Kildare and Galaway. Although the tour is relatively short, the Cambridges are packing in lots of activities. They’ve already met President Michael D. Higgins of Ireland and his wife Sabina’s Bernese mountain dog, Brod, so their trip is definitely off to a great start.

A fresh haircut and a doggo? What a way to mark the couple’s first official trip to Ireland.

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