Kate Middleton is officially a blonde.
And the controversy is officially underway.
Late last month, the Princess showed off a brand new hair color while riding in the passenger seat of a car.
It was clear Middleton had undergone a change, but this change was made even more clear on Thursday when she and husband Prince William took in the newly renovated gardens at the National History Museum in London.
You can see for yourself right here:
Throughout the summer, the mother of three has been spotted with noticeably lighter hair than her usual dark brown tresses, including at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London in July.
But this marks our best glimpse yet at what we assume to be the final version of Middleton’s blonde locks.
We think she looks great, too. However, because the Internet can be an awful place, not everyone out there shares this opinion.
“That’s a wig… she probably lost her hair during cancer treatments,” one insensitive person wrote in response to these photos, for example, while a second commented that her lightened tresses made her look older.”
Others “hoped” that her hair color was “temporary,” saying they preferred her natural brunette strands.
Considering all Middleton has been through over the past year or so, this sort of criticism from complete strangers is likely the last thing she needs.
Heck, it’s the last thing anyone needs.
Thankfully, however, Sam McKnight is here to defend the Princess and to put these haters in their rightful place.
McKnight spent seven years working with the late Princess Diana as her personal hairstylist and the 70-year old took to Instagram on September 4 to push back from all this negative feedback from online trolls.
“I am shocked, horrified, dismayed and disgusted by all the nasty comments about the Princess of Wales today,” his statement read. “A woman’s hair is very personal to her, it’s armor, defense, confidence and so much more.”
McKnight continued as follows:
“I cannot believe how evil and lacking in any kind of empathy are the comments, the majority made apparently by other women, attacking a vulnerable other young woman, who has no choice, by dint of who she married and the role she took on, to bravely face the public.”
The hairdresser went on to say that he’s “sure” Middleton “would rather be away from the public arena,” but she’s loyal to her family and the duties she must carry out.
“She has brilliantly and quietly, unselfishly represented our country, the soft power we still have as a nation,” he concluded.
“Cancer affects individuals differently, but is life changing for everyone. So FFS LEAVE HER ALONE. SHAME ON YOU.”
We could not have said any of this better ourselves. Amen.