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Princess Diana was truly the “People’s Princess” in all her glory. From her iconic fashion moments to her signature tomboy hairdo, she had become the trendsetter for everyone to follow. Known for her quick wit, she once delivered a savage reply to a Royal photographer who tried to poke fun at her hairstyle. 

Diana opted to cut her hair even shorter in 1991, prompting the long-time Royal photographer Arthur Edwards to make a humorous dig at her. 

In his upcoming new book, Cup of Tea, Arthur?: My Extraordinary 50 Years Photographing the Royal Family, Edwards recalled his cheeky interaction with the former Princess of Wales when she had gotten her new hairstyle before visiting the RAF Scampton Air Force base in March 1991.  

Along with her super short hairdo, Diana had opted for a dark blue ensemble with a striped skirt and white buttons paired with stud earrings. In a part of his book that was shared by The Sun, the veteran Royal photographer recalled being “appalled” looking at her boyish hairstyle. 

The veteran photographer also decoded that Princess Diana might have had a major inspiration behind the look. He penned, “at the time, Vogue model Linda Evangelista had made short crops ultra-fashionable and the Princess seemed to be following the trend.” 

In an attempt to make a fun jibe at Diana, Arthur Edwards said, “At the end of the job, I didn’t waste time with pleasantries and warned her, ‘If you keep cutting your hair short, you’ll end up looking like that pop star Sinead O’Connor.”

However, she was quick to give him a cheeky, befitting reply where the late former Princess of Wales pointed out the veteran photographer’s thinning scalp. 

In an excerpt from his book, Edwards wrote, “Diana blushed to the roots before pointing at my thinning scalp. ‘At least I’ve got some hair, Arthur,’ she snapped back with a wicked grin.” 

Diana was proud of her for giving it back to the photographer; Arthur Edwards confessed that he “laughed and admitted defeat.” He further mentioned, “As Diana got into the official car, she turned to her chauffeur and said with a chuckle, ‘That shut him up.” 

However, apart from his cheeky banter with Princess Diana, he also recalled her compassionate side when she had sent her own doctor to examine him when the photographer had fallen sick during a Royal visit to Egypt. 

Arthur Edwards recalled in his new book, “He gave me the right advice to get me back on my feet. I had lost seven pounds in four days and this must have been obvious when I arrived at the museum to photograph the princess looking at the treasures from King Tutankhamun’s tomb.” 

However, the longtime Royal photographer remembered how Diana did not fail to exhibit her humor when he appeared before her after his recovery. Remembering her humorous jibe at him, he recalled Diana telling him, “I’ll tell you this, it’s done ­wonders for your waistline.” 

Her short hairdo and some of her sartorial choices had catapulted Princess Diana into a fashion icon, with many attempting to recreate her hairstyle or style statements. 

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