Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Celebrity

    Royal Hairstylist Says Only One Actress Got Princess Diana’s Hair Right

    “Because I knew the real person, it just looks like pantomime to me.”

    Danielle Campoamor's avatar
    By Danielle Campoamor
    Published 15 August 2024 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Princess Diana
    (Image credit: Getty)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    The late Princess Diana's hairdresser is speaking out about the media's portrayal of the late royal, including who got it right and who missed the mark when it comes to her hair.

    In an interview with Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness for his podcast Pretty Curious, Sam McKnight—who styled Princess Diana's hair for seven years before her untimely passing—said it wasn't easy to watch various actresses portray the former Princess of Wales because of "all the mistakes."

    “To most people, they’re not mistakes because they’re only going on what their perception is, but because I knew the real person, it just looks like pantomime to me,” McKnight explained at the time. “Although I have to say, I thought the clips I saw of Elizabeth Debicki in the last season of The Crown, I thought she actually was the first one who kind of (got it right).”

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    McKnight went on to say that actress Emma Corrin, who also portrayed Princess Diana on The Crown, also “caught a glimpse of her too, but the wigs weren’t so great."

    "But Elizabeth Debicki, I feel that they kind of got it right, you know," she added. "It was as close (as the show got).”

    You may like
    • Princess Diana wearing a pink shirt putting her elbows on her knees The “Biggest Mistake” Women Make When Trying to Copy Princess Diana’s Hair
    • Princess Diana shaking hands with a fan as others take photos of her Princess Diana’s Former Bodyguard Compares the Royal Family to "Traveling Theater"
    • Princess Kate in a blue coat Princess Kate Has Embraced Diana-Like Dressing More Than Ever

    Princess Diana

    Princess Diana

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Apparently, the powers that be in the entertainment industry agree with McKnight—Debicki won a Golden Globe for Best Support Actress for her portrayal of the late royal in Seasons 5 and 6 of The Crown.

    The actress also secured to Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    McKnight went on to share how she ultimately came to meet the late Princess of Wales.

    "We were booked on a shoot to shoot young royals for British Vogue, and she happens to be the last one,” McKnight explained. “We didn’t know it was going to be her—and then this sort of tall, leggy blonde comes bouncing up the stairs and, you know what, she had us at ‘Hello.’ ”

    The stylist said that Princess Diana's casual introduction and overall demeanor made her "so disarming and charming and funny."

    What to read next
    • Princess Diana has short blonde coiffed hair and wears a bright red jacket with a black top underneath and looks sheepish Princess Diana Escaped for One "Daring" Outing
    • Princess Kate sitting in a car wearing a white blouse and brown hat Princess Kate’s Summer Hair Switch-Up Has Become a Balmoral Tradition
    • A split image of Ken Wharfe talking to Princess Diana Princess Diana’s Bodyguard Shares How She Made Staff "Part of the Party"

    "She stuck her hand out with a big smile and (said): "Hi, I'm Diana," she continued. "What are we gonna do?"

    90s beauty - princess diana

    Princess Diana.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Princess Diana died on August 31, 1997, in a horrific car crash in Paris, France. She was 36.

    At the time, her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, were just 15 and 12 years old, respectively.

    In the 2017 BBC documentary Diana, 7 Days, Prince William recalled "just feeling completely numb, disorientated, dizzy" after learning of his mother's untimely death.

    "You feel very, very confused," William said at the time. "And you keep asking yourself, 'Why me?' All the time, 'Why? What have I done? Why? Why has this happened to us?'"

    Danielle Campoamor
    Danielle Campoamor
    Social Links Navigation
    Weekend Editor

    Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.

    Read more
    A split image of Ken Wharfe talking to Princess Diana
    Royals Princess Diana’s Bodyguard Shares How She Made Staff "Part of the Party"
    By Kristin Contino
    Princess Kate sitting in a car wearing a white blouse and brown hat
    Royals Princess Kate’s Summer Hair Switch-Up Has Become a Balmoral Tradition
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana (1961 - 1997) and Prince Charles at Victoria Station, London, where they will welcome a state delegation from Nigeria, March 1989.
    Royals Why Queen Elizabeth "Was Furious" With Princess Diana
    By Amy Mackelden
    Princess Diana and Prince Charles standing on the Royal Yacht Britannia
    Royals Princess Diana Shared a Surprising Trait With Prince Charles
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Latest in Celebrity
    Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana (1961 - 1997) and Prince Charles at Victoria Station, London, where they will welcome a state delegation from Nigeria, March 1989.
    Royals Why Queen Elizabeth "Was Furious" With Princess Diana
    King Charles wearing a crown at his coronation
    Royals Royal Fans Help "Fix" an "Embarrassing" King Charles Mistake
     
     
    Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George, Prince William, and Princess Kate in Scotland on August 1, 2026
    Royals How Kate and William Have "Chosen Schools" for Their Kids
    Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attend the launch of The Queen's Baton Relay for the XXI Commonwealth Games at Buckingham Palace on March 13, 2017
    Royals Queen Elizabeth Greeted Prince Philip "Wearing a False Beard"
     
     
    Latest in News
    Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana (1961 - 1997) and Prince Charles at Victoria Station, London, where they will welcome a state delegation from Nigeria, March 1989.
    Royals Why Queen Elizabeth "Was Furious" With Princess Diana
    King Charles wearing a crown at his coronation
    Royals Royal Fans Help "Fix" an "Embarrassing" King Charles Mistake
     
     
    Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George, Prince William, and Princess Kate in Scotland on August 1, 2026
    Royals How Kate and William Have "Chosen Schools" for Their Kids
    Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attend the launch of The Queen's Baton Relay for the XXI Commonwealth Games at Buckingham Palace on March 13, 2017
    Royals Queen Elizabeth Greeted Prince Philip "Wearing a False Beard"
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.