A famous updo, a 15-minute routine and one evening when the Princess Royal let it go. Most of us change our hair every few years. A new cut after a breakup, a few highlights for summer, bangs we regret by fall. Then there is Princess Anne, who found a look that worked in her twenties and simply kept it, through decades of royal tours, horse trials and state occasions.
Anne, 76, has worn her signature bouffant updo for about five decades. And despite its volume, she has always insisted it is no great effort. In the 2020 ITV documentary marking her 70th birthday, she reacted to The Crown actress Erin Doherty, who had said recreating the style could take nearly two hours. “And I’m thinking, ‘How could you possibly take that long?'” Anne said. “I mean, it takes me 10 or 15 minutes.”
The Night She Changed It
That is why fans noticed immediately when the style changed. On July 8, 2025, at the state banquet at Windsor Castle for French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, Anne arrived with a twisted bun updo and a side part, much closer to a low chignon. It was the first major change to her hairstyle in about 50 years.
She topped it with her Diamond Festoon Tiara, presented to her in May 1973, three months before her 23rd birthday, when she launched the World Unicorn tanker for the World Wide Shipping Group. She wore it that same year in her 23rd birthday portraits by photographer Patrick Lichfield, and the new chignon looked strikingly similar to the hair in those photos. Her white embellished Maureen Baker gown, with a beaded bolero, was one she had already worn for her 70th birthday portrait, and her diamond necklace and earrings were an 18th birthday gift from her parents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
A 1983 Clip, Still Making Waves
In October 2026, a clip of Anne’s October 1983 interview on Parkinson in Australia resurfaced online. Her bouffant looked unusually tall and full, and comments quickly poured in, from “Is she wearing a wig?” to “That’s her real hair.” One fan joked: “That hair is impenetrable!”
The clip was a reminder of how little the Princess Royal has changed. The updo is practical for a keen horsewoman who spends much of her life outdoors, and it takes her a quarter of an hour at most. That consistency is her style. Royal women often settle on a signature like this, and Kate has her own practical favorites, like the day she proved a simple baseball cap is the chicest outdoor hat.
How to Borrow Her Low Chignon
The style Anne chose for the banquet is one of the easiest elegant updos to do at home. Start with a deep side part. Gather your hair low at the nape, twist it loosely and wrap it into a bun, then secure it with a few long pins. Leave the front smooth and soft rather than teased. A little texture spray before you twist helps fine hair hold its shape. For an evening event, add a jeweled clip or headband instead of a tiara. Heirloom pieces carry extra meaning, as the piece of Diana’s that Meghan chose to wear showed. The lesson worth borrowing is that a signature look and a change of pace can live side by side.
The Bottom Line
Princess Anne has worn the same bouffant for about 50 years, and it still takes her only 10 or 15 minutes. At the French state banquet in 2025, she chose instead a twisted low chignon with a side part, under the tiara she has worn since 1973.
