Princess Diana’s hairdresser is spilling the tea on the “total scandal” that left her then-husband, King Charles, “ranting and raving.” Richard Dalton—Diana’s hairstylist from 1981 to 1990—revealed that the couple was embroiled in drama during their 1983 tour of New Zealand.
“There was a big hoo-ha going on,” He shared, referencing the anti-monarchist Māori rights protests occurring at the time.
Princess Diana and King Charles in New Zealand in 1983.
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One activist, Dalton said, “lifted his skirt and showed his ass to the princess” during a haka, a traditional Māori dance that served as Charles and Diana’s welcome to the country.
“Total scandal,” he added.
Princess Diana greeting Māori women in New Zealand in 1983.
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Dalton overheard Charles’s reaction when he was styling Diana’s hair that evening.
“I was waiting that evening to go and do her tiara, and I could hear the prince was ranting and raving next door,” he shared.
Luckily, Diana had a sense of humor about the incident.
“He doesn’t sound too happy. I heard what happened,” Dalton recalled telling Diana of Charles. “She said, ‘I dunno what he’s going on about. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me since I arrived.’”
Dalton also detailed the incident in his 2024 memoir, It’s All About the Hair—My Decade with Diana, co-written with friend and founder of The Princess Diana Museum, Renae Plant.
Prince William, Princess Diana and King Charles in New Zealand in 1983.
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