Princess Diana’s 1984 Hairdo Infuriated Queen Elizabeth, According to Her Former Hairstylist: ‘Never Again’
Queen Elizabeth II didn’t like it when Princess Diana did a little hair “experiment” in 1984. According to Diana’s former hairstylist, trying out a different look didn’t go over well with the late monarch. Why? Because it overshadowed a major royal event. Ahead, which of Richard Dalton’s Diana hairdos reportedly infuriated Queen Elizabeth.
Diana tried a different hairdo for the 1984 opening of Parliament
Speaking to Daily Mail, Richard Dalton, longtime hairstylist to Diana, shared how the State Opening of Parliament in 1984 wasn’t without some drama because of his client’s hair.
“Dalton decided to experiment, weaving her trademark short hair up into an elaborate bun or ‘chignon’ around her Spencer family tiara,” per the outlet. Diana’s hairdo led to “one of the few times the late Queen was reportedly furious at her daughter-in-law” because it distracted from the event.
Dalton worked with Diana for 10 years. They met when Diana was just 17 years old going to a department store salon with her sisters. However, they didn’t start working together until after she married the now-King Charles III in 1981.
Diana kept her hair ‘simple’ after angering the queen and ‘eclipsing’ the event
“Diana’s glamorous new hairdo made all the front pages the next day, totally eclipsing the solemnity of the occasion,” Dalton said. The late royal, who died 27 years ago on Aug. 31, 2024, “learned her lesson that day and vowed her hair would never again be the centre [sic] of attention and distract people away from the work of the royals.”
“From that point on, I only ever cut her hair a quarter of an inch at most,” the hairstylist added. “Her style was simple and flattering. Because it was short, I could have her ready in 15 minutes.”
During his time styling Diana’s hair, Dalton became a confidant. “Every woman confides in her hairdresser, and she was no different,” he said. However, “being the keeper of such big secrets” did occasionally make him “feel sick with stress.”
Dalton typically styled Diana’s hair at 8 a.m. if she was at her Kensington Palace home. He also joined her on every royal tour from 1983 to 1991.
Diana changed her signature hairstyle in the ’90s
Diana later made headlines for changing her hairstyle in 1990. During a photo shoot for British ‘Vogue,’ hairstylist Sam McKnight faked a shorter hairdo by tucking her hair behind a tiara (via Today).
In his book, Hair by Sam McKnight, he shared how Diana then agreed to make it a real change. “As she was leaving, Diana asked what would I do to her hair if I had free reign,” he recalled. “I suggested cutting it short and she, to my surprise, agreed, and we did it there and then.”
“It was quite astounding,” McKnight told the outlet. “I discovered the power that she had in the press. The manner of coverage was quite extraordinary.”
Dalton’s experience styling Diana’s hair is being shared in the forthcoming book, It’s All About The Hair: My Decade With Diana, written by Renae Plant.
