The True Story Behind Princess Diana’s Most Controversial Hairstyle

Earlier this week, Earl Charles Spencer released a book about his older sister, the late Diana, Princess of Wales: Swan Song: Diana, My Sister. The 348-page memoir offers a look at Diana’s too-short life, touching upon, among other things, the princess’s magnetic style, which influenced beauty routines, haircuts, and more trends around the world.

“Her infectious appeal could be challenging for traditionalists at court,” Spencer writes of his sister. One of those challenges, of course, was that cameras turned her way wherever she went.

Take the State Opening of Parliament in 1984. For the event—attended annually by key members of the royal family—the princess wore a voluminous white gown with mid-length balloon sleeves, paired with the Spencer Tiara, which she had also worn on her wedding day. Queen Elizabeth II, for her own part, was dressed in full regalia, including a white gown, an 18-foot red velvet ceremonial cape, and the incredible Imperial State Crown.

Describing his sister’s look that day, Spencer recalls that her hairstylist, Richard Dalton, “swept Diana’s hair into a ‘chignon’—a bun pinned at the nape of the neck, as favored by some movie stars a generation earlier.” (Spencer himself was not in attendance.)

To hear him tell it, the style elicited a strong reaction from the British public. “When Diana arrived at Parliament and descended from her horse-drawn carriage, there were gasps of admiration from onlookers,” he writes. “They were used to her trademark look and were surprised that this had been replaced by something so ravishing. The Spencer tiara looked particularly magnificent atop her sweeping hair, while her bone structure was shown off to great effect.”

At the time, Spencer suggests, Diana was frequently accused of stealing the spotlight from her mother-in-law and husband—and on this occasion, her hair only added fuel to the fire. “The next day’s headlines were about Diana’s daring new hairstyle, with the monarch’s address to Parliament, detailing the Government’s legislative priorities for the year ahead, relegated to a mere footnote in the papers,” Spencer writes.

Her censure came quickly. “Diana was told off,” he continues. “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.”

While this particular hairstyle wasn’t seen out again, Princess Diana’s influence on beauty standards across the world continues to this day—from her iconic Lady Diana cut and beyond.

Princess Diana’s Hair Through The Years