We all know that Princess Diana had an amazing sense of style, but that didn't just apply to her clothes. Diana also always had the best hairstyles. For most of her life, Diana kept her locks pretty short, preferring a little bob to long locks like Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle have today. But even though she stayed within one realm of hairstyle, Diana did mix things up from time to time.
In the nearly two decades she was in the public eye, photographers captured her in Farrah Fawcett-style hair, fancy updos, short looks, longer looks, slicked-back styles, and so much more. She was always staying on top of the trends while also staying true to what she preferred for her hair. Short hair doesn't always look good on everyone, but Diana pulled off her style every day — and she probably inspired a ton of people to rock their locks shorter as well.
Here are 20 of her all-time best hairstyles.
The Justin Bieber
Sorry to Justin, but Princess Diana was rocking the shaggy bowl cut long before he was even born. This was Di's signature hairstyle in 1981 when she was just entering the royal family. At the time, she was just a shy 19-year-old who didn't really know what she was doing with her personal style. She would soon develop an iconic look all her own.
Borderline Mullet
By 1982, Diana was letting the back of her haircut grow out while keeping the front short. She basically had the early stages of a mullet. But we can't fault her for that. It was the '80s, after all! She was just staying on trend.
Meanwhile, we can see here that the Queen has pretty much never changed her hairstyle. She still wears it the same way she did 40 years ago.
Hair Helmet
On a 1983 trip to Australia, Diana was more hair than head. Her locks had gotten very long, but she was trying to stick with her short, bangs-focused style. The result is a big swoop of hair that pretty much wraps around her head like a helmet. But she's Princess Diana, so she totally pulled it off.
With a Hat
Sometimes hats can wear a person, meaning that they just kind of take over the whole look. (Remember Princess Beatrice at Kate Middleton's wedding?) But Diana always found a balance between her hat and her hair so we could see her lovely locks and enjoy whatever fascinator she'd chosen for the event. They worked in tandem.
Blown Out
The princess doesn't look too happy in this photo from a 1983 trip to New Zealand, but at least she could say that her hair looked great. The fancy banquet called for a tiara, which Diana paired with a blown-out hairdo. The end result was soft wisps of hair sweeping up and away from her face and toward the crown — drawing everyone's eyes to the jewels.
Face Framing
For an official Kensington Palace portrait taken in 1983, Diana had a swept-back hairstyle. With all her hair pulled away from her face, we could see how beautiful she was. She still had the long hair present on her Australia trip, but it was less of a helmet at this point — just full of volume.
Pinned Back
A year later in 1984, Diana had a brand new hairstyle. She'd really let things grow out so it was long enough to pull back in clips. She tucked her hair back on each side, letting her long, soft curls take center stage. This was really as long as we ever saw Diana wear her hair, as she tended to prefer a shorter style throughout her life.
So Much Volume
By 1985, the princess was back to her shorter locks, but she added those big Farrah Fawcett waves and tons of volume to the look. It was a peak mid-'80s hairstyle. This is also when we really started to see Diana come into her own fashion-wise as she became more comfortable in the public eye.
Clever Jewelry Trick
As Princess Diana started experimenting with her fashion sense, we saw some clever tricks. In this instance, she used a jeweled choker necklace as a headband. No one would have ever suspected her style hack except that she had already worn it as a necklace the previous year. We love that she recycled her gems.
Sophisticated Twist
Diana didn't often wear updos — mostly because her hair was usually so short. But she went with a fancy French twist style for a dinner and dancing event in Australia in 1988. She looked so glamorous with her hair and Catherine Walker dress. Even Prince Charles looked enamored for once, and he and Diana so rarely got along while they were married.
Windswept
We wish we all looked this good after skiing down a mountain. The princess definitely had tousled hair while on a 1988 vacation in Klosters, Switzerland, but she somehow still looked amazing. If only the wind made us all appear as effortless as Diana always seemed to be. Perhaps it's her secret weapon?
With a Tiara
Nothing makes a hairstyle look better than plopping a diamond and pearl tiara on top of it. Diana actually had such a great trick for wearing crowns when she was a princess. She would wrap fabric that matched her hair color on the bottom of the tiara to help the jewels blend into her hairline. Genius.
Extra Curly
During a 1992 trip to South Korea, Diana showed off a much curlier hairdo than she usually wore. The curly-Qs of her hair actually perfectly matched the swirly pattern of her diamond tiara. She was so smart when it came to fashion that we wouldn't at all be surprised if that was totally intentional.
Cut Short
Seemingly tired of her longer hair, Diana made a big cut in 1994 right before leaving on an Austrian skiing trip. This time she didn't have to deal as much with wind blowing her hair around — it was too short to get very messed up.
We love this choppier 'do on the princess. It was always fun to see her experimenting with her style.
Flipping Out
By the following year, however, Diana's hair was back to its usual length — if not a little longer. She was bordering on a mullet again, but she flipped out the ends, giving it a sleeker look. She sported this hairstyle for a dinner on a trip to Argentina in 1995. The strappy shoulders on the dress were a good choice because they further drew attention to her fun hairdo.
Slicked Back
She took her Argentina hairdo to a whole other level for a 1995 trip to New York. Diana was making a speech at the Council of Fashion Designers of America Ball, so she obviously had to up her style game. She sported a slicked back hairstyle that flipped out at the ends. It was one of those "wet looks" that Kim Kardashian would wear decades later.
Chunky Highlights
Ah the '90s. That decade was known for so many things, including the beginning of the chunky highlight trend. Diana has a bit of that here, with light blonde, honey blonde, and darker brown streaks showing through her hair. Also, is it just us or does she look a lot like the mom from The Parent Trap here? Natasha Richardson, is that you?
Straightened
A 1997 Red Cross event saw a very sophisticated Princess Diana. She wore a pearl necklace and pearl earrings to accent her pretty blonde hair. By this time, her Bieber haircut days were long gone, and she was growing out her hair a bit so she could tuck the straightened locks behind her ears.
Sleek Headband
Diana pulled her hair back with a stretchy black headband as she headed to the airport in 1997. She wanted to travel in style but also in comfort, so this was a great choice to keep her hair out of her eyes while still looking chic. These headbands are back in style because everything old is new again.
Wispy Bangs
Looking at Diana's hairstyle in this 1997 photo, it's hard to imagine there was ever a time when she rocked a big swoop of full bangs. But that was the '80s and this was the '90s. Whispy, barely-there bangs were in style, and the princess was never one to miss a trend. We love this subtle nod to her early hairstyle while keeping it updated and modern.
