Princess Charlotte just copied mum Kate Middleton’s viral 5-second hack for waist-length hair

Footage of Prince George playing on the beach with his siblings for his 13th birthday has left us reminiscing about very similar clips of his sister Princess Charlotte on her 11th birthday.

Playing in the sand with her brothers, the Prince and Princess of Wales’ only daughter looked relaxed and happy in a pastel blue hoodie with the sleeves rolled up so she could work on her shell art. But we couldn’t help but notice how she had styled her waist-length brunette hair, which is normally left in loose waves with the front section secured in plaits away from her face.

Seemingly taking beauty tips from her mum, the 11-year-old had slung her tresses into a low ponytail, leaving part of her hair looped into a mini bun with a long, trailing tail.

The look was reminiscent of Princess Kate’s no-fuss bun, which she quickly created without the help of any hair accessories during a visit to the Suffolk Silk Mills in Sudbury in September 2025.

HELLO!’s Deputy Beauty and Lifestyle Editor Melanie Macleod broke down her “practical” appearance.

“While we’re used to seeing the Princess of Wales’ hair looking super-coiffured, we also know she can go low-key with her look – case in point when she twizzled it into a no-nonsense bun with zero hair ties in sight – and it seems she’s taught Princess Charlotte to do the same,” she began.

“The little royal normally has her hair braided intricately for public events, but off-duty she’s just like any other girl her age, hair tied back without a care in the world, concentrating on practicality over appearance for this easygoing look.”

How Kate achieved her viral hair hack

With no hairband and no mirror on hand, Kate looked like a natural as she secured her long hair up during her 2025 outing. 

At the time, Brett MacDonald from CULt. Hairdressing explained how she had mastered the low bun.

“When the hair is twisted prior to rolling it up, wrapping closer to the head each time, it causes the hair to self-tighten and lock in the base,” he told HELLO!.

“It works particularly well with long hair and we, hairdressers, use it all the time on wet hair to secure it without clips or pins when leaving the basins. I love the effortless elegance the Princess of Wales demonstrated, clearly showing that she practised and applied it previously.”

Princess Charlotte’s hair captures attention in birthday portrait

Just two months ago, when Charlotte celebrated her own birthday, Kate and William similarly released a photo of the young royal. 

She looked remarkably grown up as she posed outdoors in a field of daisies during the same family trip to Cornwall over Easter.

Dressed in a striped red and black knitted jumper, a blue collared shirt and dark blue jeans, Charlotte looked effortless as her brunette hair fell past her shoulders in gentle waves.