As someone who just recently decided to open her mind to becoming a hat person, I’m always looking to celebrities for guidance on how to wear my hair with different hat styles. Katie Holmes, Taylor Swift, Megan Thee Stallion, Billie Eilish and Natalie Portman have really been leading the way recently when it comes to beanies, baseball caps, and bucket hats. But if I ever find myself under the unlikely circumstances that call for wearing a fascinator, I’ll be relying heavily on Kate Middleton for hairstyle inspiration. Not only has she figured out multiple ways to wear her hair with those small, forward-tilting headpieces, but she gets genuinely creative with the looks. Take her Christmas style for example.

The Princess of Wales was seen with the royal family as they attended the Christmas morning service at Sandringham Church on Monday, December 25. She was wearing a monochromatic blue ensemble while greeting crowds, standing taller than many of them thanks to a fascinator with an angular bow and feather-tipped sticks, all in a rich navy hue.

But it’s what’s going on under that fascinator that, appropriately, fascinates me. I’ve seen Middleton wear her hair down, up, and, as it seems to be here, half-down and half-up with a fascinator, but the details are especially lovely for this occasion. Instead of the half-up portion of the hair being pulled through like a small ponytail or secured with a barrette, it’s held in place at the base of the headpiece with a braid — very much like a low crown braid only across the back of her head.