Decades after her tragic death Princess Diana remains a fashion icon, known for her signature shaggy ‘do that inspired “hordes of women” to copy the short haircut. It shouldn’t be surprising that in her brother Charles Spencer’s book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister that he would dive into how fashion impacted her life as a royal. So naturally more tea about Princess Diana has rolled around after the book’s release, and this time it’s about her hair.
The book comes nearly 30 years after her death, with the 9th Earl Spencer choosing to tell “the definite story” of her life. Of course this includes the role she played in fashion of the ‘80s and ‘90s, with looks created by prominent designers such as Dame Zandra Rhodes. However, according to her brother, Princess Di didn’t have much leeway when it came to deviating from her iconic look:
Her hair stylist, Richard Dalton, swept Diana’s hair into a ‘chignon’—a bun pinned at the nape of the neck, as favoured by some movie stars a generation earlier.
The alleged incident occurred at the 1984 State Opening of Parliament in which the princess decided to change up her iconic style with a slightly different hairdo. She attended the event alongside Queen Elizabeth, with whom she reportedly had a strained relationship with, and her husband Prince Charles. She wore many incredible looks, such as one ballerina-length evening dress worn in Florence, Italy in 1985, designed by Jacques Azagury. So it makes sense she would want something daring and elegant for the event. However the swept-back updo paired with the Spencer Tiara and a long ruffled dress allegedly didn’t land with everyone.
According to Spencer, fans were surprised to see the look but gave “gasps of admiration” when the princess stepped out of the carriage. While the updo was reportedly a hit with the public and even the press, the Earl Spencer claims that Queen Elizabeth didn’t find amusement in the scene-stealing moment. The reason allegedly stemmed from the fact that the press were more interested in Diana’s new hairstyle than they were in her address to Parliament. Spencer writes:
Diana was told off, and she—ever respectful of ‘the boss,’ as she called the Queen—from that point on, always wore her hair more simply at events that they both attended.
Despite the reported reaction from the late Queen Elizabeth, this didn’t stop Princess Di from being an incredible fashion icon. We’ve seen her style re-created on screen a variety of times, such as by Kristen Stewart who played Princess Diana in Pablo Larraín’s psychological drama Spencer (2021). Hair and makeup designer Wakana Yoshihara did everything she could to ensure that Stewart’s Diana look was accurate, even perfecting "crazy expensive" Princess Di wigs that reportedly cost around $6,000 to make.
You can also check out the iconic fashion in Netflix’s The Crown which focused on Queen Elizabeth’s life, but the relationship between Princess Di and Prince Charles was a prominent part of the story. The series took you through her younger years, her life with Prince Charles, and the circumstances right before her tragic death.
One thing these adaptations of her life have in common is their dedication to her style and part of that is ensuring they get her signature ‘do just right. Though I suspect that we’ll get much more tea about her life than just her hair in Spencer’s book.
