Queen Camilla’s ‘gradual’ hair transformation nobody noticed

Along with Princess Kate and her glossy hair and dark eyeliner, Queen Camilla has one of the most instantly recognisable royal beauty looks.

Her honey-hued, lightly flicked hair is her signature look, with the royal rarely deviating from the style, but her hairstylist, Jo Hansford, revealed that the 77-year-old has been slowly shifting her beauty look over the years, without anyone noticing.

In an interview with HELLO!, the Queen’s long-term stylist says she has softened Camilla’s hair colour as she has grown older, moving from white blonde towards warm honey shades to suit her skin tone.

“We’ve changed the colour gradually, so it isn’t noticed, and I think it really suits her,” she says. “It’s not quite as long as it used to be, and not as flicky,” Jo continues.

Of Camilla’s low-maintenance look, Jo adds: “I think it looks really good, and she manages it well. She isn’t dependent on people all the time unless she has to style it for a special occasion. She’s very low maintenance.”

While the King’s wife is generally able to tend to her own mane, Jo reveals that for big days such as her wedding in 2005 and coronation in 2022, she is called in to help the Queen.

“I had been doing her hair for years, but I was very nervous about doing it for the wedding,” Jo admits of styling the royal’s hair for her and King Charles’ big day.

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“She looked amazing, thank God,” Jo says. “She was so nervous. The whole world was watching, and it must have been terrifying, the same as the coronation. But I think she handled it really well.”

Jo also worked with Camilla on the day of her engagement announcement, by her side for the reveal of her ring.

READ: King Charles and Queen Camilla’s love story: from that chance meeting at the polo to their eventual marriage

Recalling the day in February 2005 when the royals announced they were to marry, Jo says: “She was supposed to come to the salon that day, and then I got a call asking me to go to Clarence House instead.

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“I thought: ‘What’s all that about?’ When I got there, she said it was because they were announcing the engagement that day.”

It’s understandable that Jo has been on hand for Queen Camilla’s biggest moments, with the duo working together for many years, dating back to when they first met and bonded over their love of gardening and shared experience of being mothers and grandmothers.

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“Our children are the same age, so we had our heartaches when our kids were travelling at the same time, with no mobile phones or emails, and we were terrified of where they were and what they were doing,” she says.

To read the full exclusive interview, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.