Kate middleton's wedding hair: richard ward and james pryce's diary

Kate Middleton's wedding hair was one of the most talked-about elements of the big day.

And, with the eyes of the world on the Royal bride, hairdressers Richard Ward and James Pryce knew they had their work cut out for them. Here, Richard and James give HJi an exclusive insight into the biggest job of their careers; creating Kate Middleton's wedding hair.

James: "I've been Kate's stylist for around eight years now and we have a great relationship that's been built on trust and discretion. Shortly after the official engagement announcement, Kate called me and asked if I would go to Clarence House and style her hair for the press conference. There I was - jeans, t-shirt, trainers - in this beautiful location, styling the hair of the soon-to-be most recognisable woman in the world. I certainly didn't expect that when I woke up that morning!" Richard: "I found out about Kate's engagement from my PR - we were booked to do a day of consumer press visits to launch my new range. Our day quickly changed focus as the beauty editors moved their interest from my products to Kate! The Middletons have been loyal customers for about eight years, so although I hoped that one day an engagement would be announced, I never assumed it would be an automatic invitation to style her hair on the day." January 2011 James: "I continued to style Kate's hair following the engagement and with the announcement of the wedding date in the New Year, Kate asked if I would look after her on the day and if the Richard Ward team would style the bridal party. It was all very low key and, because of our relationship, Richard and I knew we couldn't talk about it to the press. "We sat down and discussed how the day would work - how many stylists we'd need, who would do what, whose expertise would be required and, most importantly, how it would all happen without anyone outside the salon finding out. Richard and his wife Hellen called a team meeting and we talked through the need for confidentiality. We weren't able to confirm anything until it was announced officially later in the year." February 2011 Richard: "This was the month that everything really started to heat up on the media side. I look back now and wonder how on earth we coped! For 20 years, Hellen and I have built our profile and suddenly there we were having to turn down all these press opportunities." James: "Our PR had to decline press wanting to book in for the 'Kate' blow-dry but they were still booking under fake names. A French journalist came in for a blow-dry, went to the bathroom, came out wearing the infamous blue dress and a photographer came out of the bar area and started snapping away! Other times they'd be a bit more discreet and wait until they were outside the salon and then take the shots." "In terms of wedding planning, this was also the month that we started to pin down the look for Kate. She wanted a romantic feel and her hair had to complement that. Richard and I worked on three mood boards that showed different hair down, hair up and half up-half down styles. Kate was considering flowers in her hair, so the look needed to take that into account. Once we'd presented the ideas, Kate selected a few she liked and we started to work on those until she opted for the version she wore on the day." March 2011 James: "Once we'd decided on the style, it was a matter of getting the look right. Once Kate decided she was wearing a tiara, we needed to start practising. So, Richard and I locked ourselves in the back office and practised on Richard's PA - with a £5 fake tiara!" Richard: "The practices had to be done in secret. We don't have a VIP room so we needed to do this behind closed doors. The press were starting to write strange things about 'James practises hair up' 'James has tiara-placing lessons' so we knew we had to be really careful in the open salon - we just didn't know who the undercover reporters were." April 2011 James: "The last month was where everything had to come together. Richard and I were meeting with Kate more regularly and the key stylists who were involved in the bridal party were also meeting with her mother, Carol, and sister, Pippa, to talk through looks. There were nine of us involved in the day so I created a schedule for us all - who was doing what, what time, what room, how long. It had to be really organised as there was so much to do and really not that much time as the wedding was at 11am."