Meghan Markle’s Winter Hair Transformation: The Secret Behind Her ‘Chocolate Chestnut Glow’

Did Meghan Markle refresh her tresses ahead of the Invictus Games countdown celebration?

The Duchess of Sussex, 42, was out and about in Canada last week with Prince Harry for the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025’s One Year to Go festivities rocking a subtle change to her hair. On Monday, celebrity hair colorist Kadi Lee posted photos of Meghan during the winter outing on Feb. 15 with insight into her new hair hue.

“Chocolate chestnut brunette, for Meghan, Duchess of Sussex for Invictus Games,” Lee wrote on Instagram. “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.”

Lee credited the Duchess of Sussex’s “bounciest, long-lasting blowout” to hair stylist Hector and posted four pictures of Meghan at the Whistler Sliding Center. Meghan kept warm with a navy blue beanie at the mountain on Thursday, where her long hair was styled in loose curls.

Meghan’s winter hair shade is a slight shift from the fall. In November 2023, Lee posted a photo of the Duchess of Sussex at Variety’s Power of Women event in Los Angeles with her hair pulled back in a chic bun.

“Classic, shiny rich chocolate brown, for Meghan, Duchess of Sussex for last evening’s Variety Power of Women event,” Lee captioned the Instagram on the Highbrow Hippie account.

The Duchess of Sussex was in supportive spouse mode at the sliding center last Thursday, where she filmed Prince Harry in action as he braved the skeleton track, clocking speeds of over 60 miles per hour. Skeleton was one of the three winter sports that the Duke of Sussex, 39, tried during the Participating Nations Winter Training Camp, held ahead of the next Invictus Games in Vancouver and Whistler next February. Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games, an international adaptive sports tournament for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, in 2014, and the upcoming cycle will be the first winter edition through the introduction of winter sports: skeleton, alpine skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, Nordic skiing and wheelchair curling.

While Prince Harry raced down the skeleton track twice, his wife took a pass. When a photographer suggested Meghan take a turn, she quipped, “No way!”

The Duchess of Sussex wore her hair in several ways during three busy days in Canada. Meghan wore her hair down with a black beanie on Feb. 14, where stepped out on the slopes of Whistler Blackcomb to kick off One Year to Go hand in hand with Harry. The hat was a cute tribute to the start of their courtship, as she was spotted in the same wool-and-cashmere Burberry beanie when they started dating, and the light hit what Lee called “red and golden undertones” in her locks.

Meghan kept her hair down for an evening event at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, a First Nations museum and art gallery. She and Prince Harry toured the community hub and attended a reception for the official debut of the Invictus Games 2025 logo. The creative collaboration between the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, Musqueam and Lil’wat Nations marks the first time all four First Nations have worked together to create a piece of art and will be the visual identity for the seventh Invictus cycle.

The Duchess of Sussex had her hair the same way for a morning visit to the Mount Currie Community Centre on the traditional territory of the Lil’wat Nation on Feb. 15, before slipping on the beanie at the sliding center.

On Feb. 16, the third and final day of the Invictus One Year to Go countdown, the Duchess of Sussex swept her tresses into a side ponytail for the wheelchair curling demonstration at the Hillcrest Community Center, where Prince Harry and Michael Bublé hit the ice to check out the sport for themselves.

That night, Meghan had her locks in a low bun for One Year to Go Dinner at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The sleek style complemented the off-the-shoulder neckline of her olive green gown by Canadian label Greta Constantine.

The One Year to Go dinner was the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s final appearance last week for the 2025 Invictus Games countdown festivities, and Prince Harry and Meghan shared an unseen photo from the party with PEOPLE.

“We loved being back in Canada, a place so meaningful to both of us. It was an honor to be welcomed by the Four Host First Nations, as we marked One Year To Go, together with Invictus coaches, competitors and families,” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex exclusively tell PEOPLE following the three-day Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025’s One Year to Go festivities.

“It filled our hearts to once again be surrounded by Canadian people, food and culture. We felt the Invictus spirit and excitement throughout Whistler and Vancouver, and are so grateful to all our hosts for organizing such a memorable visit. We’re counting down the days until we return!” they add.

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