Looking Back At Princess Diana’s Hair Evolution—Including Her ’90s Transformational Pixie Cut

Dec 07, 2020

Princess Diana Spencer was an icon not just because of her sense of fashion but also because she was embraced as the "People's Princess." Her overall style inspired others to recreate her wardrobe and for good reason: Princess Diana was a stunning woman who could pull off any look she wanted. In particular, her hairstyle was one of her most well-known features and changed throughout her life. We take a look at some of her best hairstyles.

Lady Diana Spencer was only 19-years-old in this photo, taken at the Young England Kindergarden Nursery School in Pimlico, London. She was engaged to Prince Charles when she was 19 and married when she was only 20 years old. The couple had an age gap of 12 years between them. When asked if the gap made any difference in their relationship, Prince Charles responded, "I think that Diana will keep me young, apart from anything else," during an interview after their engagement was announced, according to Harper's Bazaar.

"I think I shall be exhausted," the Prince of Wales joked. "I haven’t somehow thought about it. I mean, it’s only 12 years, and lots of people have got married with that sort of age difference. I just feel you are as old as you think you are.” 

Princess Diana also believed that the age gap played little to no part in their relationship and said, "I have never thought about it."

After their engagement is announced in 1981, Prince Charles and Princess Diana pose for cameras here as they attend an exhibition at Broadlands, Hampshire, taking a walkabout at the home of the former Earl Mountbatten. Her side-swept shaggy hair gives her an elegant look as the fashion-forward princess-to-be pairs it with her signature style 80s baggy cardigan. 

For her wedding to Prince Charles, Princess Diana softened her fringed bob for a more sleek look. She harkens back to her more feminine side with the soft hairstyle she donned for her wedding at St. Paul's Cathedral in 1981. This event in Diana's life and more were covered in the documentary 'The Story of Diana,' released to memorialize the 20th anniversary of Diana's untimely death.

Princess Diana and Prince Charles' famous Australia and New Zealand tour of 1983 was important for the Royal Family as well as for Princess Diana, as it was her first time traveling overseas, reports Town And Country. Her decision to take an infant Prince William along with her raised some eyebrows at the time but soon paved a way for the new norm. Ever since, Prince William and Kate Middleton brought Prince George on their tour of Australia in 2014, while Prince Harry and Megan Markle took son Archie on their Royal Tour of South Africa. 

In this photo, Diana donned Queen Elizabeth's Cambridge Knot Tiara, a gorgeous piece of jewelry made of diamonds and pearl, which was given to Diana by her mother-in-law as a wedding gift. Here she is seen at the farewell Banquet in New Zealand. 

Pictured here with her hair pinned back, Princess Diana visits Barnado's charity in November 1984. Though she is most well known for her short feathered cut, she pulls off her shoulder-length hair just as well. At this time, Princess Diana had already had Prince Harry, and Prince William was a toddler. 

Diana had traded in her bob for a longer, shoulder-length look that softly framed her face as she visited what was the Deaf, Blind and Rubella Council Family Centre, this photo once again taken in 1984. Her delicate curls accentuated her warm character as she paired the look with a pink coat jacket and pearl earrings. She later returned to her shorter hairstyle and paired it with intricate beading during her visit to Pakistan in 1991.

Princess Diana donned a gorgeous hairpiece during a royal trip to Australia in 1988. According to Express UK, Princess Diana and Prince Charles's Australia tour was undertaken to commemorate Australia Day, which takes place on January 26th every year. At the time, the royal family drew the largest ever crowd that Australia had seen at an event to the famous Sydney Opera House.

Wearing a gorgeous cream and pink dress designed by Catherine Walker, Princess Diana attended a dinner held by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in Islamabad during her official visit to Pakistan in September 1991 in this photo. Her short hair in the 90s was propelled into fame also in part because of the iconic British Vogue cover photo: her stylist Sam McKnight reportedly tucked her hair back into her tiara to make it look like she had short hair. 

In his book Hair by Sam McKnight, according to Us Magazine he wrote, "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 would I do to her hair if I had free reign…I suggested cutting it short and she, to my surprise, agreed, and we did it there and then."

While Princess Diana's feathery locks were her trademark hairstyle, in this photo she has a distinctly different style. Sam McKnight, who was Princess Diana's hairstylist from 1990 to 1997 until her untimely death, gives her a very edgy style in this photo from the mid-1990.

About this hairstyle, he said as reported by Good Housekeeping, "I loved Diana looking more spontaneous," and added, "She even looked great coming out of the gym with freshly showered hair ... so for the Council of Fashion Designers Awards in New York, we decided she would try it out in public." The hairstyle was a huge hit and garnered a lot of praise. 

Do you have a signature hairstyle you are known for? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. If you have friends who like seeing old pictures of Princess Diana, be sure to share this post with them.