Princess Diana's Hairstylist Told The Story Of Her Iconic Short Hairdo

Apr 27, 2021 by apost team

Princess Diana was universally loved by not only the British public but by people the world over. She used her influence to enact good, spending much of her time campaigning for humanitarian causes that improved the lives of others. She sat with people who were ill, helping to break the stigma of the then-new diseases HIV and AIDS. These are the reasons she became known as the "People's Princess" — she was a shining beacon of light in the royal family. 

It's been nearly 24 years since she tragically passed away, but whenever we see photos of her it's still incredibly moving. This is a testament to how much the public adored her, and she's still often talked about and even featured in the media, whether for her charitable deeds or impeccable fashion sense. We've seen thousands of photos of Diana, and they never fail to move us.

Still considered a true style icon, Princess Diana was ahead of the curve much of the time, as she worked with the best in the fields of hairstyling, makeup, and fashion. Her hairstylist Sam McKnight is revered in his field, and he often works in high fashion, including for the likes of Vogue. He was also Diana's hairstylist from 1990 up until her death in 1997.

In a new video series in collaboration with British Vogue, McKnight opened up about his career and particularly on his work with Princess Di. He spoke candidly about working with her and the background story behind her signature short haircut, as he revealed details of the day they went for the crop.

In the fashion world, hairstylist Sam McKnight is known for his work with celebrities and top fashion magazines. But on top of this, the Scottish hairdresser had another big role throughout the '90s — he was Princess Diana's hairstylist, and in fact, was the man responsible for her signature short haircut. 

In a new video series with British Vogue, the veteran hairdresser has opened up about his career, including the time he worked with Diana, which was from 1990 until her untimely death in 1997. Speaking about their first meeting, which was during a photoshoot for British Vogue, he said:

"The first time I met the Princess of Wales was on a shoot. This leggy blonde comes bouncing up the stairs, smiled and made us all melt, and it was Princess Diana."

Describing the day as "lovely" and reminiscing that they laughed a lot during the shoot, he explains how that photoshoot included a tiara. For one of the now-famous photos from that day — in which Diana is wearing a white satin ballgown and sitting on the floor with her arms around her knees while smiling — McKnight finessed her hair and make it look a bit shorter than it was. He explains:

"I made it look short under the tiara — I faked it a bit."

The look clearly made an impression on everyone, then and now — the black-and-white photo from that day is one of Diana's most famous and even the princess was curious about how he styled her hair.

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McKnight goes on to say how after the shoot Princess Diana asked him what he would do with her hair if he had free reign, and McKnight gave her his honest opinion. He reveals:

"I said, 'I would cut it all off and just start again. It was the beginning of the '90s and it was at the time that I was doing lots of shows and covers and a lot of the girls had short hair, and we were moving from the big frou-frou '80s into the sharp, more androgynous, business chic of the '90s."

Diana clearly trusted his instincts as she told him, "Well, why don't you just cut it off now?" McKnight added, "So, I cut it off then and we never looked back."

Not only did he work on Princess Diana's famous tresses, but more recently he did a British Vogue cover shoot with Emma Corrin, the English actress who plays Diana in Netflix's "The Crown." He says in the video:

"From one Princess Diana to another. I remember that day. That was my first job after the first lockdown in summer [2020] and I remember when the job came in I wasn't quite sure that I was the right person to do this ... And actually it was a pleasure and Emma was a pleasure, and I was quite taken by how alike Emma was to Princess Diana in her looks. And she was such a lovely girl that any doubts and fears were laid, and I think it's a great cover."

What do you think about Princess Diana's bold move to cut her hair on a whim? Have you ever made such a rash decision with your hair before? If you found this article informative, be sure to pass it on to those you know!