Princess Diana’s hairstylist reveals the reason he cut her hair short

‘We were moving from the big frou-frou ‘80s into the sharp, more androgynous, business chic of the ‘90s,’ says Sam McKnight

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Princess Diana was known for her signature short hairstyle, and now the hairstylist behind the look has shared what first sparked her decision to have it cut.

Diana’s long-time personal hairstylist Sam McKnight was the man behind the iconic look and he’s opened up about the first time he met the Princess of Wales.

In an exclusive interview for British Vogue, McKnight describes what it was like meeting Diana for the first time.

He said: “The first time I met the Princess of Wales was on a shoot. This leggy blonde comes bouncing up the stairs and sticks her hand out and introduces [herself], smiled and made us all melt, and it was Princess Diana."

McKnight was Diana’s hairstylist for the day as they were shooting portraits for the British fashion magazine.

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“I made it look short under the tiara. I faked it a bit,” McKnight said.

After a “really lovely day” of shooting, McKnight said Diana asked how he would style her hair if she let him do anything he wanted to it. That’s where the idea for a short cut came about.

McKnight recalled: “I said, ‘I would cut it all off and start again’, because it was the beginning of the ‘90s and it was at the time when I was doing lots of shows and covers and a lot of the girls had short hair.

“We were moving from the big frou-frou ‘80s into the sharp, more androgynous, business chic of the ‘90s.”

In a surprise split decision, Diana allowed him to do it, saying: “‘Well, why don’t you just cut it off now?’” McKnight said: “So I cut it off then and we never looked back.”

The hairstylist ended up becoming the royal’s personal stylist from 1990 until her death in 1997.