If you know anything about the 1980s, big hair was in, and Aqua Net hairspray was the product of choice. However, there were reported consequences to the use of aerosol spray which affected the ozone layer. That’s where the then-Prince Charles entered the chat.
He’s been a big proponent for environmental causes for decades, years before it was ever a hot-button issue. That’s why a resurfaced report from 1988 is making waves again because he apparently forbade Princess Diana from using one of her favorite products. The revelation came during a 1988 speech at a Royal Society of Arts event, per UPI Archives. “I personally as I become older and more autocratic have banned the use of aerosols in my household,” he shared with the crowd to laughter and supportive applause.
Charles might have thought it was a good idea, but apparently, the then-Princess of Wales was less than thrilled by the order. “Trouble still remains in finding adequate and good enough alternatives to hairspray as I’m sure all husbands will find,” he quipped. Diana needed to keep her feathered layers in place and her love of the hair product was widely known. Photographer David Bailey described her hair in 2022 to The Daily Telegraph as “solid as a plastic dummy” from her heavy usage of the spray. Hey, that was the style at the time — the bigger, the better.
However, the conversation reportedly didn’t go well when Charles first approached Diana with the idea. “Diana was very funny when Charles first talked about the ozone layer,” royal expert Ingrid Seward explained in the Charles: Our New King documentary, per the Daily Mail. “He said, ‘You must stop using your aerosol hair spray’ and she said ‘Why?’ He said ‘Because aerosols are making a hole in the ozone layer,’ and she thought he was completely mad.”
That pretty much sums up the relationship between Charles and Diana, who were always at odds during their marriage. Our 2024 recollections of their relationship do not vary from the 1988 coverage either. UPI Archives had a vivid description of their differing personalities, noting, “Charles has confessed to growing eccentric as he became older and talking to his plants — statements that have prompted British tabloids to say he is mismatched with 26-year-old Diana, a lively woman who likes nothing better than to dance the night away to pop music.” It was never a match made in heaven.
Before you go, click here to see all of our favorite photos of Princess Diana.
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