Meghan Markle's Latest Appearance Featured An Unexpected (& Totally New) Hairstyle

The era of obsessing over Meghan Markle's every hair change is what royal obsessives may now regard as "the good old days," before the Hollywoodite-turned-royal (turned-ex­-royal) traded in her tenancy at Kensington Palace for a Beverly Hills hideaway. These days, sightings of the Sussex family are so few and far between that when Meghan Markle appears via webcam with new long layers, it becomes the news of the week.

On July 14, the former duchess was featured in Girl Up's virtual, three-day Leadership Summit, during which she urged some 40,000 participants to "keep challenging" authority and "chase [their] convictions with action." Along with the message, Markle also surprised viewers with a new haircut.

Her signature black strands were long — longer than usual, perhaps — and straight, as opposed to the chunky curls with which we're used to seeing her. That she was even wearing it down instead of in a sleek ponytail or her beloved low bun is a noteworthy departure from the norm. For her last appearance — a virtual commencement speech for her high school in which she addressed the Black Lives Matter movement — Markle gathered it at the nape of her neck and let the lengths cascade casually over her shoulder.

This time, however, Markle let her flippy, face-framing layers shine in a rare down-do for the new video, presumably filmed one room over from baby Archie (who sadly did not make an appearance). It's unclear who exactly is behind the enviable switch-up seeing as she's now 5,000 miles from her beloved UK stylist, George Northwood.

If she were anything like the rest of us commoners amid a pandemic — which she technically *is* since leaving behind a life of heirloom tiaras and palaces — she would have sliced off those pesky split ends with a pair of household scissors. Especially considering Northwood himself laid out a nine-step guide to self-trimming for YOU Magazine recently.

Regardless of who may be responsible for it, Markle has doubtless just debuted one of her best hairstyles — and one that's absolutely worthy of copying, too.