Royal Hairstylist Says Only One Actress Got Princess Diana’s Hair Right
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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).”
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).”
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.
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."
"She stuck her hand out with a big smile and (said): "Hi, I'm Diana," she continued. "What are we gonna do?"
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?'"
