Princess Diana arguably has the most famous hairstyle in history—of course, excluding Jennifer Aniston’s ‘The Rachel‘—with the fluttery blonde cut long being an icon in its own right. Countless others have tried to recreate the bouncy style, including most recently Emma Corrin in Netflix’s royal drama The Crown and Kristen Stewart in the soon-to-be-released biopic, Spencer.
While plenty have tried to emulate the late Princess of Wales’ signature style, perhaps none have come as close as Dutch TikTok star Rose Van Rijn, who has gone viral for her own interpretation of Diana’s iconic cut. We shouldn’t be surprised, considering the social media star has been making viral hair tutorials that deliver her nearly half a million TikTok followers a behind-the-scenes look at how she recreates styles from the 60s and 70s (including, most recently, the ‘Fawcett Flip‘).
In the video, Rose begins the tutorial with a screenshot of an old illustrated guide from 1981 (which she found on Pinterest) on how to achieve the royal’s hairstyle before diving into a step-by-step of how to achieve the look through styling. First, Rose cut her hair into a shoulder-length bob with face-framing layers and a curtain fringe to finish it off. To add the fluttery finish Diana was known for, she sectioned off her hair before using a blowdry brush and heat protectant (you can’t go wrong with the evo Icon Welder Heat Protection Spray). She set the look by running a large paddle brush through the curls and hairspray.
Watch the incredible transformation for yourself below.
The Tools You Need To Recreate Princess Diana’s Signature Hairstyle:
Dyson Airwrap Styler Complete, $799 at Adore Beauty
O&M Original Queenie Firm Hold Hairspray 300ml, $36.95; at Adore Beauty
Aveda Wooden Paddle Brush, $50; at Adore Beauty
Diana’s hair might have been iconic, but many might not actually know the interesting story behind the cropped style. The late royal’s hairstylist, Sam McKnight, once shared the story with British Vogue while on set, telling the publication it was a spontaneous decision.
“She came bounding up the stairs in a studio in Hackney, this beautiful long-legged blonde, and immediately made us all feel totally at ease. She had an amazing way of disarming you and kind of getting rid of all the nerves, and laughing and making jokes,” he said, going on to explain how the signature style was created by accident.
For the shoot, McKnight tucked Diana’s hair underneath her tiara to make it appear shorter, and when she liked the look she asked McKnight what would he would do with her hair if he had “free reign.”
“I replied: ‘I’d just cut it all off.’ Her hair was fabulous, but it was time for a change, and I think she felt that, too. So she said: ‘Okay, do you want to do it now?’ So I did.”
And the rest is history.
