Princess Kate donated seven inches of hair to a cancer charity in 2017

One of my favorite 30 Rock jokes was when Jenna Maroney was trying to get attention for cutting her hair and donating it to charity, but her hair was too damaged to make wigs for cancer patients so she announced that she would donate her hair to Merkins of Hope. Such a good joke! I bring this up because the Princess of Wales has always been known for her hair and her hairpieces, and people are thinking about her hair these days because she’s undergoing preventative chemotherapy. Will Kate lose her hair? Will she have to wear wigs for the next year or so? I don’t know. But People Magazine wanted to remind people of the time that Kate apparently donated her hair to a charity which creates wigs for young cancer patients.

Kate Middleton once donated some of her locks to a charity that creates wigs for young people experiencing hair loss due to cancer treatment or other conditions years before she announced her cancer diagnosis.

The Princess of Wales’ bouncy brown hair has long been a hallmark of her style, and the royal quietly donated seven inches of her tresses to the U.K. charity The Little Princess Trust in 2017. Six years ago, the Sunday Express reported that Kate, 42, had seven inches of her hair cut during an appointment at Kensington Palace and suggested to her stylist that they make good use of the locks being chopped.

Her hair was anonymously sent to the Little Princess Trust, which provides hair wigs free of charge to children and young people up to age 24 who have lost their hair during cancer treatment or experienced hair loss caused by other conditions. Kate debuted a shorter ‘do in July 2017, hinting at when the secret good deed may have happened.

“It’s lovely to think that somebody, somewhere — probably more than one person — has received a wig containing Princess Kate’s hair,” Helen Creese, a spokesperson for the charity, told PEOPLE at the time. “It’s a really lovely thought and it’s fantastic for raising awareness, plus it’s gorgeous hair — we all lust after that hair!”

[From People]

First of all, “her hair was anonymously sent” and yet it was widely reported at the time. I mean, good for her and it’s great to donate your hair, especially after a really significant cut. But she wanted credit for it! Also, Kate’s hair was always dyed and processed and I do wonder if a wig charity would even accept it. Anyway, this story made me go back and look at some 2017 photos of Kate – she did a big trim early that year, and then she spent much of the year growing it back. Her hair was super-dark back then too – she’s been lightening it a lot in recent years. Of course, I keep thinking back to how many wigs and hairpieces she’s worn in the past year, and it makes me wonder if her hair loss is something that’s been happening for a while.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

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