Princess Diana’s Hairdresser Reveals Why She Once Wore a Necklace as a Headband — with ‘Knicker Elastic!’

Diana’s former hairdresser Richard Dalton tells PEOPLE about the royal’s improvised headband

The late Princess of Wales made a fashion splash when she wore an emerald-and-diamond choker necklace as a headband in Australia with the future King Charles in 1985, and her former hairdresser Richard Dalton is sharing why — along with the fashion hack that made it happen!

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Princess Diana’s Hairdresser Reveals Why She Once Wore a Necklace as a Headband — with ‘Knicker Elastic!’
Diana’s former hairdresser Richard Dalton tells PEOPLE about the royal’s improvised headband

By Janine Henni and Erin Hill Published on May 22, 2024 11:39AM EDT
Princess Diana attends a gala dinner dance at the Southern Cross Hotel on October 31, 1985 in Melbourne, Australia.
Princess Diana in Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 31, 1985. PHOTO: ANWAR HUSSEIN/WIREIMAGE
Princess Diana remains renowned for her iconic sense of style — which sometimes meant getting inventive on the fly.

The late Princess of Wales made a fashion splash when she wore an emerald-and-diamond choker necklace as a headband in Australia with the future King Charles in 1985, and her former hairdresser Richard Dalton is sharing why — along with the fashion hack that made it happen!

“I think she had sunburn on her neck so we said, ‘Let’s make a headband of it,’ ” Dalton recalled at the Styling Princess Diana panel at Fotografiska New York on May 21, celebrating PEOPLE’s 50th anniversary.

“I asked Evelyn, her dresser, for six inches of knicker elastic, [the kind used by] grannies,” he added with a laugh about how he transformed the dazzling accessory into a headpiece. In 2022, Kate Middleton brought the choker out of the royal vault and wore it for the Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony in Boston.

Dalton first met Princess Diana, then Lady Diana Spencer, when she was 17. He went on to style her hair for more than a decade, including royal tours around the world.