The Story Behind Princess Diana's Spontaneous Haircut That Defined Her '90s Look

Princess Diana was not only the most influential style icon in the British royal family, but one of the most well-known figures in modern pop culture at large. Even though Princess Diana's wardrobe changed after leaving the royal family in 1996, she embraced one of her most iconic looks while still married to Prince Charles. At the dawn of the '90s, Diana chopped her hair into a stylish pixie cut, and it became her signature look for the rest of her life. In 1990, at a photoshoot for Vogue, Diana met hairstylist Sam McKnight, who would become her personal hairstylist until her passing only seven years later. That photoshoot not only kickstarted Diana and McKnight's friendship, it inspired her iconic cut.

"For that photoshoot where we met, I gave her a fake bob thanks to a tiara," McKnight told HOLA! in 2025. "She asked me what haircut I would give her if she gave me free rein, I told her I'd cut it very short, leave the '80s behind, and welcome the '90s. And that's what I did." The stylist told Today that, because he didn't read British newspapers, he had no idea just how newsworthy Diana's new cut would become. "It was quite astounding," McKnight said. "I discovered the power that she had in the press. The manner of coverage was quite extraordinary." Diana always kept her hair short from then on, but it wasn't just a fashion choice. Despite her reputation as a glamorous style icon, the humanitarian often opted for simple makeup, and her cropped haircut was practical and easy to maintain.

Before her pixie cut took the fashion world by storm, Diana wore her hair in a feathered shag with cropped, voluminous side-swept bangs — another style closely associated with the royal icon. But, after her big chop in 1990, Diana's transformative haircut brought her a youthful energy and became a symbol of the new decade. Gone were the days of "big" everything. Teased up hairstyles, boxy shoulder-pads, and bold patterns were ditched in favor of sleek, streamlined styles. Diana's decision to turn away from the royal family's stuffy style expectations and follow modern trends was a sign of just how big of a shift the new decade would bring.

While chopping her hair short was both stylish and practical, it also sent a strong message. Wearing her hair in a pixie cut was Diana's way of reclaiming her power during the last years of her marriage to Prince Charles. In an unearthed interview featured in the 2017 documentary "Diana In Her Own Words," a friend asked the Princess of Wales about the moments in her life that turned her "from victim to victor," and it seems the pixie cut had a huge impact. "I suppose last summer when Sam [McKnight] cut my hair differently, it let out something quite different," Diana replied (via Vogue). Appearance is often closely tied to feelings of self-worth, so it's no wonder that once Princess Diana found freedom in a short hairstyle, she decided to keep it that way.