'Whatever I did to her hair became front page news.'
Princess Diana’s signature hairstyle inspired many women to chop off their own locks way back when, but maintaining it was a total mission. Richard Dalton, her personal hairdresser for years, explained that even the slightest change could be ‘front page news’ and so they needed a sneaky tactic to get around it.
In an interview with Town & Country, Richard opened up about working with the late Princess for over a decade and how he was ‘with her every day for 12 years’.
He said, ‘Whatever I did to her hair became front page news. We had to be very careful.’
Princess Diana’s hair was often worn elegantly feathered and was actually the work of his co-worker Kevin Shanley at Fenwick of Bond’s Street, who also worked with Diana on her wedding day. When it came to the day to day however, he was in charge of her tresses.
Even the smallest of changes would attract media attention, so sorting out a trim was a bit of a nightmare. Richard explained, ‘We had to do it one-fourth of an inch at a time over several weeks.’
Richard was also the man who gave Prince Harry and William their first haircuts, which we find absolutely adorable. Even though Richard might not have had a hand with Harry and Meghan Markle’s big day, he couldn’t resist gushing over Meghan’s sophisticated updo.
He said, ‘Her hair looked very elegant. It not only complemented the gown, but also balanced the tiara and veil.’
Richard continued, sharing some interesting royal insight, ‘What people don’t realize is the magnitude of that monarch length veil and the significance of the tiara. It’s a crown jewel, and must be respected and protected. You have to be extremely careful and gentle with it, and absolutely no hairspray or styling product can touch the stones.’
While Meghan Markle was initially rumoured to wear Princess Diana’s favourite piece on her big day, the Spencer tiara, she wound up wearing Queen Mary’s Filigree tiara. However, the Spencer tiara was pulled out of the cupboard and dusted off for the wedding of Princess Diana’s niece who wore it over the weekend.
