NEW CHAPTER, NEW LOOK

As the Princess of Wales debuts blonde locks, the royal couple return with renewed energy for a busy autumn

- EMILY NASH

All smiles in the autumn sunshine, the Prince and Princess of Wales got back to work with a visit to the Natural History Museum last week after a summer of family fun.

Looking tanned and healthy and with Kate showing off her new blonde hair colour, they carried out their first joint engagement since mid-July, joining schoolchildren enjoying a trip to the London attraction.

William and Kate made the outing a day after their children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, ten, and Prince Louis, seven, returned to Lambrook School for the start of their final year there together before George moves up to senior school.

"They're getting big now; George is already in my shoes," Kate told well-wishers as she arrived at the museum.

BUSY SCHEDULE

As the family prepares for that new chapter, as well as a move into their new "forever home", Forest Lodge on the Windsor Estate, they have a packed few months in store.

"The year ahead promises to be a defining one for the Prince and Princess of Wales," the royal author Robert Jobson tells HELLO!. "After the challenges they faced just 12 months ago, their world has changed dramatically. Now they can look forward to the future with happiness, confidence and the prospect of life together on the global stage."