The Royal Family announced the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday 8 September 2022. Throughout her 70-year reign, Her Majesty was well-known for her perfectly coiffed iconic hairstyle, only really changing in length and colour. Celebrity hairstylist, James Johnson takes a look back at some of Queen Elizabeth II’s signature hair moments.
Known for her polished, set style, it’s rumoured Her Majesty’s early years of beautiful brown locks were the colour ‘chocolate kiss’ until 1990 when she decided to embrace her natural grey strands.
London based, Scottish hairdresser, Ian Carmichael was The Queen’s hairdresser of 23 years, and although he has never spoken publicly about Her Majesty, it is said that she insisted her hair was entirely symmetrical. Although little more has been revealed about the Queen’s hairstyle, James comments: “I can imagine her hair was done frequently to keep the symmetrical shape so perfect, along with plenty of hairspray.
“Looking at the two iconic curls either side of her temples, I would assume they would need regular styling to keep them so perfectly placed. From washing, blow drying and set each week with rollers to get that perfect bounce – something that would have been in style at the time of her coronation – that we all recognised her for across our stamps, money, and royal memorabilia,” adds James. “It is also rumoured she requested the perfect bounce to be the same shape no matter the angle, keeping her signature look recognisable no matter which side.”
As a younger princess, The Queen’s natural, shoulder length curls were worn down, a style that was passed down to her daughter, Princess Anne.
Her wedding in 1947 showed Her Majesty at only 21 years, with her hair styled in an updo paired with a stunning veil. In keeping with her own unique style, she maintained her curls but this time, she let them fall loosely around her face. These face framing curls later became her most famous characteristic and recognisable feature.
In 1950, Queen Elizabeth II showcased her shorter hair for an Australian tour. A smart decision to keep cool on her visits to hotter climates! Although the cut was noticeably shorter, the curls and softness were still visible.
During the 60s and 70s, we saw The Queen grow out her shorter style to a slightly longer crop. That was likely due to big hair and fluffy ends being the fashion at the time – The Queen of course showcasing this in her own style and adapting it in her own way.
During the 80s, Her Majesty played with volume while still keeping a shorter length. Experimenting with height and fullness, The Queen kept her image steady with a nod to fashion at the time of big hair. This was also the last decade we saw The Queen with darker hair and during this time, we often saw images of Her Majesty wearing a head scarf which although fashionable, could have been a method for covering the greys while in the process of growing them out. A silk scarf would have helped keep her coiffed style perfect, preventing any weather damage or day-to-day wear.
This leads us to the 90s where we saw The Queen fully grey and embracing more volume to top off her style. In the yearly 90s, the grey was almost an ashy, slate-like tone.
Throughout the Noughties, while we saw Her Majesty’s hair slowly transform from grey to white, her signature style stayed the same. And oftentimes we saw The Queen wear a hat, which could have been to help Her Majesty conceal a finer style of hair.
In recent years, after the pandemic, we saw Queen Elizabeth II with a short-cropped cut. While still curly, the cut marked the end of many months without access to her hairdresser.
Her Majesty’s coiffed signature hairstyle, so perfectly symmetrical, was loved by so many across the world as it not only complimented her face structure but became the most iconic style for our longest-reigning monarch.
