Serena Williams Had Her Hair Braided in Her Sleep for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Wedding

Rewind to May 19, 2018, and the royal wedding was quite literally the only topic of conversation. We obsessed over Meghan Markle’s natural makeup—of course. But let us not forget, there were hundreds of guests with equally as gorgeous glam, including the one and only Serena Williams. The tennis pro arrived at Windsor Castle with braids that fell well below her butt, and that’s not an exaggeration. Curious as to how this hairstyle came together in a time crunch? Let’s just say Williams got a royal treatment. 

“What’s so iconic about this is, I was like, ‘Royal wedding? I’m definitely wearing braids.' There were two or three girls braiding my hair and I was so tired. I was like, ‘I’m going to sleep,’” the S by Serena founder said in her Life in Looks video with Vogue. “So I lied down and they just kept braiding until the morning. They finally finished. It was a very long process, but it was so worth it.” 

Now, given the sheer time and dedication that went into creating the gorgeous braids, Williams was determined to make sure her hair got its well-deserved time in the spotlight. So, she kept them in for her first Grand Slam competition after having her daughter Olympia. “This was right after the royal wedding and I was like, ‘I worked so hard at those braids, I’m gonna keep ‘em in.’ So I kept ‘em in,” she said. 

When it comes to caring for her hair, Williams, who wears her natural on the regular, gets all her shopping done at Target. “They literally have everything,” she previously told Yahoo!. “Anything that says curls, manage your curls, proud of your curls, I’m drawn to it…I feel like there’s so much out there for natural hair and curly hair and Black hair, which I love. I’ve literally tried everything, from Miss Jessie’s to Curls. I have a whole cabinet full of products.”