Queen Elizabeth Appears to Have Gotten a Post-Platinum Jubilee Haircut
Steve Parsons-Pool/Getty; ANDREW MATTHEWS/POOL/AFP via Getty Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth appears to have gotten a summer haircut.
The monarch, 96, has been wearing her hair in a consistent style for decades, but her locks seemed slightly shorter in new photos released from meetings at Windsor Castle this week. In pictures from her meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby on Tuesday and her audience with the Governor of New South Wales, Margaret Beazley, on Wednesday, the Queen's hair looks to have been trimmed around the back and sides since her Platinum Jubilee weekend earlier this month.
The Queen's previous longer hairstyle was last seen on June 2, when she went without her signature wide-brimmed hat for a beacon-lighting ceremony at the start of her four-day Jubilee celebration.
Queen Elizabeth's close aide Angela Kelly recently updated her bestselling book The Other Side Of The Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe to include reflections on the Queen's life during the coronavirus pandemic, including her taking on the role of cutting and setting the monarch's hair.
STEVE PARSONS/POOL/AFP via Getty Queen Elizabeth on June 2
ANDREW MATTHEWS/POOL/AFP via Getty Queen Elizabeth and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby
Kelly wrote, "From March 2020 onwards I washed The Queen's hair every week, set and styled it, and even trimmed it when needed. My team named it Kelly's Salon."
Kelly admitted that she was nervous at first — and the Queen knew it.
"During the first two weeks, I was shaking," she said. "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."
Chris Jackson/Getty Images; Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth; Angela Kelly
As Kelly grew more comfortable in her new duty, the Queen wasn't afraid to voice her opinions.
"As I grew in confidence I'm sure The Queen thought I was a professional and started shouting at me, 'Don't do that, do it this way. That's right, you've got it, don't change it.' I was thinking, goodness me, I need a gin and tonic," Kelly said. "So while The Queen was under the dryer I said to her, 'I'm off for a stiff drink because this is so stressful, getting it just right for you.' "
After a "much-needed rest," Kelly would return to the dressing home to style the Queen's hair, using "a whole can of hairspray to make sure it lasted the week."
"The routine was then set, and Lucy had a gin and tonic ready and waiting for me each time I came back upstairs," she said.
Chris Jackson/Getty Queen Elizabeth
Kelly felt extra pressure for two appearances that were broadcast: in April 2020 when the Queen made a special address to the nation, and again for the monarch's Christmas speech.
"I had to wash and set her hair and at the end of that, never mind one gin and tonic — I needed a whole bottle!" she said of the April 2020 TV appearance. "The Christmas broadcast was another reason to reach for the gin. Any time The Queen was without a hat was stressful as there was nowhere to hide, so I had to get her hair perfect."
She added, "Zooming became part of The Queen's life and Kelly's Salon became very busy. Thankfully, I only had one client!"
