Kate Middleton debuts brand new look during family outing with Prince William

Royal fans have been sent into a spiral after Kate Middleton debuted her brand-new look during a family outing alongside Prince William.

Over the weekend (24 August), the Prince and Princess of Wales were spotted on their way to a church service in Scotland alongside their three young children: Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and seven-year-old Prince Louis.

Kate, 43, was papped sitting in the passenger seat of their Range Rover donning a dark berry-coloured coat with a matching hat to pair as the family drove to the service at Crathie Kirk, which is located near the royal residence of Balmoral.

King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence, as well as Prince Edward and his wife Duchess Sophie were also in attendance.

The Princess of Wales has stunned royal fans after debuting her brand-new look (Chris Jackson / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

However, all eyes were on Kate as she showed off her lightest hair yet - a stark contrast from her signature rich brunette locks.

While definitely nowhere near to a platinum blonde, the mother-of-three's barnet is noticeably several shades lighter than what royal fans are used to, something which has prompted many to rush to social media to share their reactions to the reveal.

One X user penned: "That's a gorgeous colour!"

"Love the new look!" gushed a second, while a third hyped: "Talk about a hair transformation."

Another praised: "Royal glow-up alert!"

And a final X user beamed: "Nice to see her looking so well after her health struggles. The blonde suits her."

Kate's once signature brunette locks are now a much lighter honey colour (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Psychologist Carolyn Mair, PhD, has since shared her thoughts on Kate's new honey-tinted locks, telling Fox News Digital that she may want to feel 'brighter and more energetic' and said hair is a part of our identity.

"Hair is our crowning glory and a symbol of health and femininity," she said. "Kate might want to make a fresh start by embracing a lighter outlook on life."

Touching on Kate's cancer journey - which saw the princess announce in September that she was cancer-free, describing the nine-month ordeal as 'incredibly tough' for her family but one that left her with 'a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life' - the expert continued: "I don’t know if Princess Kate lost her hair during her treatment, but if she did, she might want to color it blonde as a means of drawing attention to it.

"She may be reclaiming agency and visibility, and leaving her illness behind."

Tyla has reached out to Kensington Palace for comment.