I Tried Kate Middleton's Surprisingly Simple Morning Routine—Here's What Worked

Morning routines have become a bit of an obsession these days, especially when it comes to celebrities. If you've ever watched one of Vogue's addictive "Beauty Secrets" videos, you know what I'm talking about; I could get stuck for hours watching Leighton Meester or Jessica Chastain go through their makeup and skincare rituals. However, it gets a little trickier when it comes to the Royal Family. Meghan Markle might be back on Instagram—and sharing her beauty faves on ShopMy—but fans are unlikely to ever see Kate Middleton or Queen Camilla doing a "get ready with me."

Over the years, some of Princess Kate's favorite beauty products have been leaked, including her Bobbi Brown wedding makeup (and that time she used a Clarins lip gloss in public). But as a royal editor, I always take it with a grain of salt when experts claim to know inside details about the Princess of Wales's daily life.

That being said, a story that's been making the rounds lately piqued my interest. Anne Simmons, a former palace cleaner—speaking on behalf of Edit Suits—recently shared Princess Kate's supposed morning routine.

Simmons said that the Princess of Wales "is incredibly organized" and likes to take quiet time in the mornings. "No chaos, no luxury overload—just a handful of carefully chosen steps that she clearly trusts," the former cleaner added.

"There was one product for her hair, a natural moisturizer, and always a moment to herself before things got busy," she continued.

So what's Kate's exact morning routine? I decided to try it out for a week myself.

A splash of cold water

Simmons didn't get specific here—does Kate not use a facial cleanser in the morning?—but I decided to go quite literal with it and skip my usual cleanser in favor of a cold water splash. Spoiler alert: my forehead started breaking out by day five so I went back to my usual routine, which also happens to be royal-approved.

A royal insider told Us Weekly that Princess Kate used Trilogy's organic rosehip oil "to fight lines without retinoids" while she was pregnant with Princess Charlotte. While I haven't tried the oil myself, I came across the brand's rosehip cleanser when I was at Whole Foods one day and the creamy, natural formula has quickly become a favorite.

Argan oil for healthy hair

Simmons said that Princess Kate uses a surprisingly affordable product for her hair every day, using The Ordinary’s 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Moroccan Argan Oil. "She’d work a little through the ends of her hair after brushing," the former palace staffer said.

As Dr. Rebecca Marcus previously told Marie Claire, argan oil helps "support hair’s elasticity and protect it from damage that may lead to breakage," so it's a smart addition to your bathroom cabinet.

My hair is similar in texture to Kate's—thick and wavy—and as a devoted (albeit somewhat irregular, very long distance) client of her go-to London hair salon, Richard Ward, I trust her haircare routines implicitly. A bottle cost me less than $8 on Amazon and it's something I plan to keep using to control frizz and add moisture.

A simple moisturizer and fuss-free makeup

According to Simmons, the Princess of Wales "wasn’t doing a full face. Just concealer, maybe a bit of blush. It was very quick and natural-looking." She added that "Kate’s moisturizer wasn’t a flashy luxury brand. It was in a simple white tube—very understated."

As someone who uses good-old Cerave every morning, I didn't change up my usual moisturizer at all. But it's nice to know the princess doesn't use anything "flashy." However, as a natural redhead, I have white eyelashes and eyebrows, so I do typically put on some light mascara and brow pencil if I need to be on camera (or in public). As I was strictly sticking to Kate's routine, I skipped those in favor of blush and concealer...and looked terrible. Did I stop doing this after two days? Yes.

However, I will say that using a bit of blush isn't something I'd ever do on a regular weekday, and it did help me feel slightly more polished. Sadly, the pink Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Kate used on her wedding day has been discontinued, but Benefit's watermelon-hued Play Tint is one of my favorites, along with celeb-loved Kosas concealer.

No phone zone

Simmons claimed that the Princess of Wales would "often sit by the window with a cup of tea for five minutes. No phone, just silence. It's her moment of calm before the madness of the day."

The tea part? Easy enough, and I (rather ironically) chose my current favorite, the Duchess of Sussex's As ever lemon ginger in a Kate-themed mug. However, this was the most difficult part of the routine for me because I'm constantly on my phone from the moment I wake up, especially as someone in the media. I tried to follow Kate's example, but to the extreme, and went without looking at my phone at all until I had to start work...which went somewhat terribly. Pope Francis died, I missed a pre-work Zoom appointment, the list goes on. However, one thing I noticed was on the days when I slipped and waded into texts, voice notes and social media, my mood was impacted for the worse.

Sleep expert Andrew Seed, Managing Director at The Odd Company, confirmed to Marie Claire that there's scientific backing for this. "Reaching for your phone the moment you wake up can overstimulate the brain, depriving you of a vital period of calm," he says. "If the first thing you see is something negative, whether it’s the news, a message, or a work email, it can trigger a stress response that may stay with you for the rest of the day."

Kate is definitely on to something here—but I'll make sure to at least check my calendar moving forward.