Queen Elizabeth II’s hairdressers recall styling her hair

Queen Elizabeth II was known for maintaining a distinctive hairstyle throughout her reign.

Queen Elizabeth II was known for maintaining a distinctive hairstyle throughout her reign.

The late queen, who died in 2022, relied on trusted members of her household staff to style her hair, including hairdresser Ian Carmichael and royal dresser Angela Kelly.

In an interview with Woman & Home, Carmichael said styling the queen’s hair was an intimate responsibility.

“It was a very intimate job and there probably weren’t many people who could touch her in such a normal way, as you just didn’t touch The Queen,” Carmichael said. “I enjoyed being with her and it was always an honor, but I knew my place.”

During the coronavirus pandemic, Kelly also took on responsibility for styling the queen’s hair.

“From March 2020 onwards I washed The Queen’s hair every week, set and styled it, and even trimmed it when needed,” Kelly said, according to Hello! magazine. “My team named it Kelly’s Salon.”

Kelly said she had initially been nervous about styling the queen’s hair.

“The Queen knew I was nervous, and during the first two weeks I was shaking. I had only done her hair once or twice before while on board the Royal Yacht Britannia. The Queen was so kind as she advised me on the very specific way to put the rollers in,” she said.