The Duchess of Sussex has been seen with various looks, from loose waves to sleek buns, and now she’s rocking a new shade of “chocolate chestnut brunette.”
Meghan Markle recently made a subtle change to her signature brown locks and showed off her new style at the 2025 Invictus Games with Prince Harry. Sharing a photo on Instagram of his royal client, glam hairstylist Kadi Lee revealed the details of Markle’s new tresses, a blend of red and golden undertones with a dark overtone.
Credit: Shutterstock/lev radin
“Chocolate chestnut brunette, for Meghan, Duchess of Sussex for Invictus Games.” The post continues, “This mixture of red and golden undertones makes a dynamic shade of brunette that not only gives skin the healthiest glow, especially during the colder months of winter, it also provides the hair with a next level high power shine.”
The colorist, at California’s Highbrow Hippie, credits Markle’s stylist Hector for the “bounciest, long-lasting blowout.”
The photo triggered a shower of praise from online users, some begging Kadi for her secrets.
One fan writes, “can you share the color you used so we can take it to our stylist if we’re out of state? You do such an incredible job in implementing color that compliments her skin tone and makes everything pop and yet subtle at the same time.”
Credit: Shutterstock
A second pens, “Hector and Kadi, your hand is truly blessed! Duchess Meghan looked radiant every time she stepped out.”
“You did an incredible job with the color, treatment and cut, Meghan’s hair is getting more perfect every day and this color suits her so much, congratulations to the wonderful professionals you are!!!” shares a third.
Not a smooth process
Though Markle’s beauty seems effortless, her dad, Thomas Markle, said keeping her hair straight and sleek took a lot of work.
Thomas – who hasn’t spoken with his daughter since he had two heart attacks on the evening of her 2018 wedding to the Prince – told the Daily Mail that when she was younger, he often woke at 5 a.m. to help her smooth and straighten her hair.
“When she wanted her hair straightening, it would take hours to do before she went to school,” said Thomas, 79. “But it was something I did willingly.”
When she became a teenager, Markle started doing her own hair and makeup, using tricks she learned on set in studios with her now retired father, who won two Daytime Emmy Awards in his role as a lighting director on the TV soap General Hospital.
Years later, when she earned the position of “suitcase girl” number 24 on the game show Deal or No Deal, Markle adopted her signature glossy look.
In 2011, she detailed the work involved in keeping her hair soft and bouncy.
“My mum is black and my dad is Dutch and Irish so the texture of my hair is densely curly…I’ve been getting Brazilian blow-outs for a couple of years,” she said of the semi-permanent strengthening treatment that lasts about four months.
Debuts new do
In February 2024 the Duke and Duchess were in Canada, bringing attention to the 2025 Invictus Games, which will be held next year in Whistler, BC. The games, that support sick and injured service members, were founded by Harry and the 2025 event will be the first, since it started in 2014, that features winter sports.
The couple visited the Participating Nation’s Training Camp where they met athletes from around the world, hoping to compete in the 2025 games.
The Duke – joined by Canadian crooner Michael Buble – tried adaptive winter sports, and Markle, wearing skinny jeans, a white cashmere sweater topped with a beige or dark quilted jacket, shined with her new hairstyle
“It’s so wonderful to see Harry and Meghan with our veterans again. The respect between everyone is great to see. Invictus Spirit,” writes one fan on the Invictus Games 2025 Instagram page. “Beautiful. So proud of the veterans. Current service personnel, Prince Harry, Meghan and the entire Invictus family,” shares a second.
“So lovely,” pens a third.
What do you think of Markle’s subtle new look? Please share your comments below!
