The Princess of Wales impressed royal fans with her ability to gracefully tie her locks back without using a hair band yesterday.
Kate, 43, was visiting Marina Mill in Cuxton, Kent, a British family business that specialises in hand-designing and screen-printing furnishing fabrics, on Thursday afternoon.
During the trip, she was offered the chance to try fabric painting, and before getting stuck in, she scooped her long hair up effortlessly into a bun without the help of a mirror or headband.
The clip of Kate’s remarkable trick quickly did the rounds on social media, with royal fans marvelling at how she managed to style her hair with such ease.
Taking to X, one said: ‘It’s possible, but never comes out this perfect. She’s a magician.’
A second added: ‘The Princess of Wales just packed her hair effortlessly in front of the world’s camera. Not one strand is out of place. It is her hair and she’s mastered those beautiful locks.’
Another added: ‘We need a tutorial on the hair tied up with no band or clip! Impressed.’
‘I love how she’s always willing to try anything (even if it’s not glamorous) and takes a genuine interest,’ wrote a fourth.
The Princess of Wales impressed royal fans yesterday after she tied her locks up without using a hair band
The Kent-based mill supplies dozens of royal homes – from Buckingham Palace to Clarence House to Highgrove, and even the Prince and Princess of Wales themselves – and are world-renowned for the quality of their fabrics, as well as the fact that they still do everything by hand.
‘It’s very trusting of you,’ laughed the princess, who asked personally to visit because of her passion for highlighting the importance of the British textile industry, as she was shown a silk screen-printing press and a tub of bright yellow paint.
‘Please not this one. It’s too beautiful!’
Taking off the jacket of her stylish checked suit, she put on a black apron and listened intently as workers Sam and Adam showed her how to transfer the colour from the screen, which had been engraved with a stunning floral pattern, onto the fabric by pushing through the coloured dye using a squeegee.
‘It’s a real labour of love,’ she remarked. ‘Do you have to do things in a particular order?’
She leaned over and helped place the heavy screen on the table over the material and then waited as Adam pushed the squeegee towards her.
She then picked it up half way and completed the sweep, before catching some more paint on it and pushing it back to him.
Concentrating heavily, she asked a few questions about where she should place her hands and appeared delighted when she pulled it off without a mistake.
Despite not using a hair band or mirror, the mother of three’s hair looked stunning in the low bun
The Princess of Wales showed off her crafty side as she made screen prints while visiting textile factories on Thursday afternoon
Royal fans took to X to marvel over the royal mother of three’s hair trick – and many were impressed
She then helped Adam carry the screen down to the next segment of fabric, repeating the exercise three times.
While she apologised for her nervousness, Adam asked her: ‘Do you want the radio on?’
‘Does it become second nature and you don’t actually think about it?,’ the Princess asked, giving the squeegee a wiggle.
‘Impressive,’ she was told.
‘So I’ve passed, that’s good!’ she replied.
‘Thank you very much, it’s great to see. Just the time it takes… it really is a labour of love. You can really see it. The customer must really appreciate that. The quality of the work.’
Marina Mill co-founder Keith Rawkins told her after customers came and saw what was involved for the first time, they never balked at the cost – which is upwards of £100 a metre.
‘It’s like knowing where your food comes from,’ the Princess said.
The royal, 43, put Britain’s creative industry in the spotlight with a visit to a family-run weaving firm that has been creating jacquard fabrics for more than 300 years – before making her way to another manufacturer in Kent
And never one to shy away from getting stuck in, Kate got to work at the Marina Mill in Cuxton by pushing coloured dyes through an engraved silk-screen using a squeegee
With an apron at hand and her hair tied up, the mother of three was careful as she followed instructions, delighting in the new skill
Established in 1967, the production, based near the Medway River, is known for its ‘artisan craftsmanship’
Kate also spent time with design director Tandine Rawkins’s free-hand sketch work, and marvelled at her pieces, praising the ‘artistry’ of the industry
‘The consumer really wants to know how their product is made and when it comes through artistry such as this, from a UK company, it’s fantastic to see.’
She added: ‘When you see everything on this scale, it’s extraordinary.’
Asked whether she had ever tried anything like this before, Kate said she had done some ‘very basic screen-printing at school but nothing like this’.
‘This is a step up. I loved doing that,’ she said.
Afterwards she was told they wanted to gift the fabric to her – no doubt to hang in her new home, Forest Lodge in Windsor. ‘Well, that’s really very kind of you,’ she said.
Mr Rawkins’s daughter, Tandine Rawkins, is now the company’s design director, while her brother, Guy, is managing director.
Tandine and the princess chatted enthusiastically as she was shown some of the incredible artwork she has designed.
She showed Catherine a piece of late 18th-century material she had been asked to faithfully recreate, which she does by hand-tracing.
‘Wow! What amazing talent. It’s extraordinary,’ she said.
Pictured: The Princess of Wales looking at a screen print during a visit to Marina Mill in Cuxton yesterday
She also got to take a look at the printing room, and even took part in screen-printing a design by pushing coloured dyes through an engraved silk-screen using a squeegee
The Princess spoke repeatedly about her own passion for textiles and her determination to ensure people know more about British craftsmanship and heritage.
‘It’s really something to see these craft skills still being used, especially for the younger generation,’ she said.
And she spoke of her admiration at how Mr Rawkins, 83, who founded the business in 1967, had handed it down to his children, as well as having several generations of the same families work for him.
Before she left, she was shown how the printed material is ‘baked’ – and was told her own fabric would undergo the process before being sent on.
Mr Rawkins said afterwards: ‘Her personal secretary knew she was passionate about British textiles and asked if she could visit us. We are quite incredulous that it has happened. We are inundated with work anyway, but it is so lovely to have the recognition.
‘Good things will come of this, we know. She has said she wants to do more things with us. It’s going to be hugely positive.
‘We work with a lot of the interior designers who work with the Royal Family’s houses, often through English Heritage.’
Kate (pictured) enjoyed a conversation with staff as she visited the Kent-based firm this afternoon
Kate pictured during a visit to Marina Mill in Cuxton, Kent, a family business that specialises in hand-designing and screen-printing furnishing fabric
The Princess had kicked her day off with a tour of Sudbury Silk Mills, a Suffolk-based firm employing more than 100 staff.
It produces cloth for top fashion houses, interior designers, and heritage institutions.
She looked at the design studio, where she was shown how historic archive patterns inspire modern designs, before moving onto the weaving floor to see traditional looms and state-of-the-art machinery in action.
She was welcomed by Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, William and Kate’s former private secretary and top aide, now Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk.
Staff said the Princess spent time speaking with everyone she met, sharing words of encouragement and praising the skill involved in producing such high-quality fabrics.
Steven Harris, Head of Production, recalled the Princess spotting a detail on a piece of fabric and saying, ‘You’ve got the job.’
She added: ‘You’ve got to have an eye for detail,’ highlighting the precision and care required in the craft.
During the visit, she spoke with account manager Beth Humes, 35, emphasising that artisan skills are ‘still vitally important’ and describing the ‘Made in the UK’ hallmark as a global symbol of excellence.
She also met designers Mae Littleton, 30, and Lucy Spendlove, 28, praising their work as ‘magical and wonderful’ as she watched sketches and patterns transform into finished fabrics.
The small team of nine people at Marina Mill, which was established in 1967, is known for its artisan craftsmanship
The royal, pictured during the visit on Thursday, was the image of elegance as she sported a suit and heels
Speaking about the Princess’s print techniques, Mr Rawkins added: ‘She was the best. She was amazing. To say and do what she has done today in front of the cameras was very special. She’s clearly done a lot of homework.
‘Pushing the squeegee is hard because the blade grabs the screen, it won’t move. You have to have a very light hand and not push too hard. And she did that brilliantly.’
‘It’s nice to know that you work well together,’ Kate could be heard saying during the visit. ‘It’s so lovely to see all these businesses, like yourselves, really thriving here in the UK.’
‘It did take them sixty years to thrive,’ one joked in reply, which had the royal in stitches.
Textiles are a personal passion for the Princess, whose paternal ancestors once owned William Lupton & Co, a woollen manufacturer in Leeds.
Palace aides noted her long-standing commitment to the sector and its cultural importance, pointing out that she has previously visited mills in Leeds, Lancaster, and South Wales to champion British craftsmanship.
Palace officials said the day was about ‘celebrating British creativity and craftsmanship’ and highlighting the skills that keep the UK’s textile industry thriving, from centuries-old weaving techniques to modern design innovation.
Before she left she collected flowers from local schoolchildren who had waited to see her. The Princess asked: ‘What’s it like to go back to school?’
Tilly Chapel, nine, said: ‘It was amazing to meet her. My family will be so jealous. I told her it was great to be back at school.’
Elsewhere, another nine-year-old, Arthur Gilligan, added: ‘I was really excited, I never thought I’d meet a royal person.’
It’s not the first time the royal has shown an interest in the world of textiles, having visited a South Wales manufacturer earlier this year and to factories in Leeds and Lancaster in 2023.
Yesterday, the Princess was the image of elegance in a fitted £1,370 suit as she made the visits – as her brother-in-law Prince Harry was set to leave the UK following a landmark meeting with King Charles, their first in 19 months.
Kate sported a plaid-print £845 blazer and £525 trousers from Bella Freud, as she stepped out to ‘celebrate the unique skill, creativity and craftsmanship’ of the British creative industries.
