There’s also a new flair and confidence, to a degree we’ve never seen before from the Duchess. At a reception on Monday night, she tucked her hair behind her ears – a deceptively simple tweak that is popular with professional hair stylists on set, usually to give styles an insouciant edge. 

While her XXL hair is almost too long for her frame – and no doubt longer than any Royal has ever had, to date – Kate gets away with it because of the simpler styling and colour-block effect. “With a full head of rich, deep chocolate colour, Kate’s hair looks immediately expensive and modern,” notes the colourist Anita Rice, from the Buller & Rice Salon in London. “It’s a departure from her usual beachy balayage highlights, and is much more elegant. It’s the type of brunette you’d see in Old Hollywood – a rich tone that looks immediately classic.” 

Whatever the reasoning behind the Duchess’s new look, one thing is certain – her forties are seeing her entering a new decade with a shiny new confidence of which her hair is the most literal exemplar.