When Princess Anne discovered the chignon, she never turned back. At 73, the Princess Royal's signature wrapped bun hairstyle has become synonymous with her unmistakably elegant aesthetic - and it's remained unchanged for over 40 years.
Queen Elizabeth II's only daughter can rarely be seen without her raven hair neatly coiffed into a balletic up-do. Much like the Princess' unfussy approach to fashion, her perfectly preened hairstyle is both practical and chic.
It has served the Princess Royal since the 1980s, acting as her suit of armour during her military career, her go-to for royal engagements and most importantly, the perfect base for a glittering tiara.
The Princess Royal has worn her hair in a chic updo since the 1980s
Rewind to the swinging 60s and psychedelic 70s, however, when the It-girl royal was in her late teens and early twenties, and Princess Anne's rarely-seen natural hair was often worn down.
PRINCESS ANNE'S STYLE FILE
From curling her glossy brunette locks to experimenting with half-up, half-down beehives, the Princess Royal loved to show off her waist-length hair in her younger years.
WATCH: 100 years of royal hairstyles through the decades
Princess Anne's glossy locks, 1968
The Princess Royal wore her hair down to attend the Horse Of The Year Show in Wembley in 1968, rocking a half-up, half-down hairstyle to accompany her mod-girl mini skirt.
The sporty royal let her natural, thick hair fall into beachy waves when she joined her late father, Prince Philip, for a sailing trip on board the Yeoman XVI.
The 70s appeared to be Princess Anne's care-free era, as she often let her flowing brunette locks, which fell to her shoulders, to fall loosely round her face.
Here, the mother-of-two is pictured in Norway, lapping up the sunshine and letting the wind whip her golden brown hair.
Whatever hairspray Princess Anne was using in the 70s, we need some. The trend-setting royal was one of the first to debut impossibly voluminous blowout curls, later followed by Princess Kate, who debuted her modern take on the It-girl hairstyle in 2023.
By the mid 1970s, Princess Anne was already flirting with the chignon style - which was a variation of her elegant wedding hairstyle when she tied the knot with her first husband, Lieutenant Mark Phillips in 1973.
Occasionally, she let her natural hair flow loose, like in this photo from her honeymoon in the West Indies.
The ever-practical Princess Anne clearly has a penchant for keeping her hair up. In the mid 70s, the royal could often be seen rocking a sleek, low ponytail, letting her healthy thick mane fall down her back.
Back in 1982, a then 33-year-old Anne was pictured leaving the 2UE building in North Sydney after being interviewed by radio presenter John Laws.
The Princess Royal styled her hair in an elegant half-up, half-down style. While the top of her hair was pinned into its usual, voluminous beehive quiff, the back revealed a surprisingly luscious mane that fell to just above her waist.
