It’s been 28 years since Princess Diana left for her heavenly abode, yet she remains alive in our memories. Be it her stunning fashion sense or incredible picks with jewelry, the global icon has always dominated headlines in her lifetime. Princess Diana’s hair has always been a stunning attraction to fans and media alike. Her hair transformation journey spoke volumes about the wonderful personality she had and also became a symbol of boldness and independence.
Before stepping into the spotlight as Lady Diana Spencer, the princess-to-be was a kindergarten teacher. She embraced a fuller, less polished hairstyle paired with her signature fringe. Her youthful innocence was beautifully visible in that style, and obviously, she could shield herself from the relentless attention of the paparazzi.
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In one memorable photo, Princess Diana was seen wearing a regal purple outfit. She was just 19 at that time. Her soft, voluminous hairstyle was a sharp hint that very soon, that grace and charm, would be defining her public image.
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Fast forward to her wedding day, Princess Diana was not pleased with her hairstyle on the big day. Despite the fairytale aura surrounding her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles, Diana wasn’t entirely satisfied with her bridal look. Her hairstylist, Richard Dalton, later revealed in his book It’s All About the Hair – My Decade with Diana that she wished she could have redone her hair for the occasion. “Diana did express to me that she wished she could do the wedding over again to ‘get the hair right,’” Dalton shared with People. Even so, her beauty was scintillating on the day of one of the grandest weddings in history.
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In one of the other incidents, Princess Diana’s mesmerizing hairstyle had upstaged Parliament’s occasion. During the 1984 State Opening of Parliament, Diana’s hairstylist created a sweeping, voluminous look to complement the iconic Spencer tiara. The bold style became the talk of the event that it overshadowed the occasion itself, much to the late Queen Elizabeth II’s dismay. “The Princess learned her lesson that day and vowed her hair would never again be the center of attention and distract people away from the work of the royals,” Dalton told the Daily Mail .
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Early in the 90s, Princess Diana’s relationship with her husband, Charles, had taken a rough turn. A major change in her hairstyle was observed at that time. She collaborated with hairstylist Sam McKnight and debuted a shorter, edgier cut. In the 2017 documentary Diana: In Her Own Words, we see a friend asking her, “What have been the turning moments in life that turned you from victim to victor?” Diana replied, “I suppose last Summer, when Sam cut my hair differently, it let out something quite different.”
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In her final years, Diana’s hairstyle evolved yet again. Her blonde locks became lighter and softer, with sleek layers replacing her earlier curls. This look, seen during her visit to the Hale Clinic in West London, was quite a mirror to her reinvention as a compassionate global humanitarian.
In 1997, Princess Diana left the world in a tragic car accident leaving the world to mourn her untimely death. Even though so many years have passed, her styling sense and iconic looks truly stand as an inspiration to anyone trying to pursue fashion. Even if one is not into fashion, her appearance continues to stun people and remind them what it is like to be a ‘royal’.