It isn't the first haircut to cause headlines, and it won't be the last.
But Princess Charlene has responded to the debate caused by her buzzcut, debuted last month, acknowledging it "provoked all kinds of comments".
The Monaco royal, who is married to the country's Prince Albert II, stepped out with a new shaved hairdo in December at the palace's annual Christmas gift-giving ceremony.
With half her head shaved and the rest of her locks cut into a short bob, the cut is known as a 'half-hawk', given its close resemblance to the mohawk.
Scroll through the gallery above to look back at Princess Charlene of Monaco's hairstyles through the years.
At the time, the bold 'do divided commenters on social media, with many deeming the princess unrecognisable after ditching the fringed bob she had sported earlier in the year.
Princess Charlene, 42, this week told French magazine Point de Vue the haircut was "my decision".
"I wanted it for a long time. The style pleases me. That’s all," said the royal.
The former Olympic swimmer added that her husband, with whom she shares twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, likes her hair, "after the initial surprise wore off".
"Certainly, of all the members of royal families, I’m probably the one who has tried the most different hairstyles, and I’ll continue," said Princess Charlene. "That’s my choice. What counts is that Jacques and Gabriella adore seeing their mother with her new style."
The Zimbabwe-born princess acknowledged that her choice might not be considered the most typically royal of haircuts, but added the world has much bigger issues to worry about in the current climate.
"The remarks of ‘but what is she doing?’ and ‘but it’s not royal!’ – I know these all too well," Princess Charlene said. "And I have nothing to say to them, except that we’re in 2021 and that in these times which are so troubling, so difficult, there are other, much more important subjects which deserve our attention."
The royal, who represented South Africa at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, met Prince Albert II that year. The pair married in 2011 and welcomed their children in 2014.
