In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Princess Diana's hairdresser, Richard Dalton, has opened up about what it was like working with the royal icon. Dalton's story is being told in the forthcoming book, It's All About The Hair: My Decade With Diana, written by royal expert Renae Plant.
"I have never spoken publicly but Diana has been gone for 27 years and I was part of history," Dalton told the publication. He continued, "She was hilariously funny, impossibly glamorous and even more beautiful in real life than her pictures show. I want to share my stories to preserve her legacy."
However, Diana's hairstyles weren't without their drama. According to Dalton, when he styled Diana's hair for the State Opening of Parliament in 1984, the Queen was allegedly "furious." As reported by the Daily Mail, "Dalton decided to experiment, weaving her trademark short hair up into an elaborate bun or 'chignon' around her Spencer family tiara," but not everyone loved the results.
"Diana's glamorous new hairdo made all the front pages the next day, totally eclipsing the solemnity of the occasion," Dalton explained. "The Princess learned her lesson that day and vowed her hair would never again be the centre of attention and distract people away from the work of the royals."
As a result, Diana was apparently more cautious about the hairstyles she wore for official royal engagements. "From that point on, I only ever cut her hair a quarter of an inch at most," Dalton told the outlet. "Her style was simple and flattering. Because it was short I could have her ready in 15 minutes."
As well as being present for Princess Diana's hairstyle scandals, Dalton became a confidant for the royal, and learned details about her personal life. "Every woman confides in her hairdresser and she was no different," Dalton explained.
However, Dalton wasn't always excited to learn details about Princess Diana's private life. "Being the keeper of such big secrets sometimes made me feel sick with stress," Dalton noted. "My job was to listen, help her feel beautiful and confident and bring a little of the real world into her world."
Luckily, there were some moments of levity between the pair, especially when it came to watching television. "She loved the TV show Dynasty and would make me watch it if she couldn't because of work commitments," he told the outlet. "The next morning she'd say: 'Tell me everything!'"
According to Dalton, the Princess of Wales even drew inspiration from Dynasty for her hairstyles. "Diana loved big hair—and so did I," the hairdresser explained. "We used gallons of hairspray and heated rollers to give her that 80s Dynasty look after her favourite TV show."
Diana's love of huge hair apparently led to a few funny moments, too. "When she gave birth to Prince Harry, I was in Spain," Dalton revealed. "I told her to put hot rollers in but she kept them in too long. 'I had big, big hair,' she told me.'"
