Royals

The secret behind Princess Anne’s extraordinary bouffant hairstyle

It's a process!
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Princess Anne is famous for many things – her famous work ethic, as one of the hardest-working members of the royal family with the most number of official engagements, her exceptionally strong backbone, and her gloriously high hair.

Yep, Anne’s fabulous bouffant is the stuff of legend. She was a huge fan of the popular 60s and 70s beehive style in her younger years, and now the 69-year-old is still rocking her signature hairdo whenever she’s spotted out and about.

Now we get to revisit a young Princess Anne and her iconic hair in all its glory, thanks to season three of Netflix’s royal drama The Crown.

This brand new season stars British actress Erin Doherty as a headstrong young Princess Anne, full of fire and passion.

And while we can’t get enough of her incredible royal fashion, as well as unpacking her fascinating relationship with brother Prince Charles, we’re also marvelling at how the show’s creators have painstakingly recreated Anne’s signature hairstyle.

READ NEXT: Why Princess Anne was the real royal fashion MVP

Princess Anne pictured in 2013.

(Credit: Getty)

Princess Anne at a charity event in London in 1982.

(Credit: Getty)

Erin revealed the meticulous process involved in creating her character’s look, explaining she had a lot of fun donning Anne’s fabulously fun 60s and 70s outfits.

“I feel like I got to have a lot of fun in comparison to a lot of the other family,” she told Glamour magazine.

“Do you know what I mean? I felt for Olivia [Colman, who plays Queen Elizabeth], some of those costumes — and she’d know it, as well — she’d come out of her trailer like, ‘Here’s another one. Another green mouldy suit’. That’s what she got lumped with.”

A gorgeous 19-year-old Princess Anne, pictured in 1970 at the royal family’s estate in Sandringham.

(Credit: Getty)

Princess Anne’s glorious bouffant pictured at the opening of the Randall Institute University Of London in 1992.

(Credit: Getty)

The entire transformation process took a whopping hour and a half everyday.

“But Anne had a bit of character. Not to mention her hairstyles. I was in hair and makeup for 90 minutes … sometimes more,” Erin revealed.

“It depends what the ‘do was or if a hat was involved. But I kind of loved it in a way. Some of the big, boofy hairdos were phenomenal.

She also told the UK Telegraph newspaper’s magazine liftout Stella about “bracing” herself for the hours spent perfecting Anne’s look: “It takes even more time if she’s wearing any sort of hat. I brace myself if it’s a hat day.”

READ NEXT: Inside Prince Charles and Princess Anne’s surprising sibling relationship

Erin Doherty as Princess Anne in season three of The Crown.

(Credit: Netflix)

Anne’s essence is captured perfectly by Erin.

(Credit: Netflix)

A more low-key version of Anne’s signature ‘do.

(Credit: Netflix)

As for what it took to create the real-life version, Princess Anne’s hairdresser Denise McAdam, who served as hairdresser to the royal family for more than 30 years, said while the look might seem complicated, it was actually easy to achieve.

“It was a simple up-do, so I just used to go in, close my eyes and do it as quickly as possible,” she said.

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And she also revealed that Princess Anne’s famous steely persona is not all an act, explaining that the daughter of Queen Elizabeth was incredibly intimidating, even while getting her hair done in the mornings.

“Princess Anne was the scary one, particularly when I was young,” Denise told the Radio Times.

If you can’t get enough of Princess Anne, check out this amazing gallery of her most incredible fashion looks from her younger years – there’s no denying she’s a total royal style icon!

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