Prince William Helped With Kate Middleton’s Hair on Their Wedding Day

By Emily Dixon

Apr 30, 2020

london, united kingdom april 29 embargoed for publication in uk newspapers until 48 hours after create date and time catherine, duchess of cambridge and prince william, duke of cambridge travel down the mall on route to buckingham palace in a horse drawn carriage following their wedding at westminster abbey on april 29, 2011 in london, england photo by indigogetty images

Max Mumby/IndigoGetty Images

On Wednesday, April 29, Prince William and Kate Middleton celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary.
Royal hair stylist Richard Ward shared a sweet anecdote from their wedding day with People.
William helped with Kate's hair for the wedding reception, Ward said.

Wednesday marked nine years since Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot—and thus, nine years since lace sleeves became a ubiquitous presence on wedding blogs across the internet. To mark the occasion, People shared a sweet anecdote from royal hair stylist Richard Ward, who perfected Kate's bouncy curls on the big day.

First, let's set the scene. You might recall that Kate transitioned from a half-up, half-down style to her signature glossy curls for the evening reception, changing from one Alexander McQueen gown into another, simpler style from the designer. The look:

kate, the duchess of cambridge leaves clarence house to travel to buckingham palace for the evening celebrations following her wedding to prince william earlier in the day on april 29, 2011 in london afp photowpa pool john stillwell photo credit should read john stillwellafp via getty images

JOHN STILLWELLGetty Images

Ward restyled Kate's hair for the evening celebration—and William lent a hand. "I wanted to show Kate the back of her hair and I was struggling to walk with this 500-year-old mirror, and he just said, ‘Let me give you a hand,’" Ward told People. "I said, 'No, no, honestly,' but he took one end and I’ve got the other and we’re shuffling along with this mirror—he’s great, he really is."

View On Instagram

On Instagram, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared an iconic photo from the wedding (with legendary grumpy flower girl Grace Van Cutsem visible in the background, looking suitably unimpressed). "Nine years ago today—thank you for all your lovely messages on The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding anniversary!" the caption read. Congrats, Cambridges!

For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

subscribe here