Princess Diana Once Wanted Shorter Hair, Says Former Hairdresser Richard Dalton

Princess Diana’s former hairdresser, Richard Dalton, recently shared some details about the time the two of them worked together.

During an interview with Town & Country, Dalton revealed that he first met the Princess of Wales when she was just a teenager. He was also the one that gave Prince William and Prince Harry their first haircut.

According to Dalton, there was a time with Princess Diana asked him to cut her hair shorter than usual because she was traveling to Africa. However, the princess was concerned with how people would react if they see her new hairstyle.

“Whatever I did to her hair became front page news. We had to be very careful. We had to do it one-fourth of an inch at a time over several weeks,” he said.

In 1981, Dalton became Princess Diana’s personal hairdresser. At that time, Dalton was also operating his salon in Claridge’s Hotel. But when he got asked to join Princess Diana’s team full-time, he immediately said yes and sold his business.

Dalton was also the one responsible for creating Princess Diana’s most iconic looks, which includes the controversial 1940s roll, as well as her bigger hair that counterbalanced the shoulder-padded fashion of the 1980s.

At present, the hairdresser continues to work with A-listers, such as Jane Seymour, Melissa Rivers, Katy Perry, and more.

In related news, Sam McKnight, one of Princess Diana’s hairstylist, previously talked about her iconic short hairstyle. In his book, “Hair,” McKnight revealed that the princess’ haircut was inspired by her Vogue cover shoot in 1990.

“I made her hair look short in the tiara for the shoot and she decided she liked it. As she was leaving, Diana asked what I would do to her hair if I had free rein… I suggested cutting it short, and she, to my surprise, agreed, and we did it there and then,” he wrote (via US Weekly).

Princess Diana’s former makeup artist, Mary Greenwell, acknowledged the fact that the late mom of two was usually fearless when it comes to trying out new things.

“She loved makeup and she loved experimenting. It was just much more about really getting her to look absolutely beautiful all the time,” she said (via Glamour).