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Queen Camilla has given her long standing hairdresser and Mayfair stalwart the official royal seal of approval.
Jo Hansford, who has been cutting the Queen’s hair for more than three decades, was among just seven royal warrants issued by the Queen in December.
Ms Hansford said “it’s a real honour to be granted a royal warrant from The Queen, who I have been proud to have as a client for more than three decades,” she said.
“I think it is particularly wonderful that the Queen has awarded it to an all-female owned and run business. It really shows that with grit and determination, you can achieve truly incredible things.”
Ms Hansford was described as “the best tinter on the planet” by US Vogue in the 1990s, and last year she recalled the first time she saw Camilla she knew immediately “she had to be blonder”.
The Queen has remained a loyal client since that point, and Ms Hansford has managed her tresses through Camilla’s wedding to Charles and last year’s coronation.
She told The Telegraph at the time there would be no special new shade for that event. “It’ll be the same. Nothing dramatic happens to a woman’s hair on the day she becomes Queen,” she said.
Despite the potential stress that comes with being responsible for the hair of such a high profile person, Ms Hansford said they have maintained an easy relationships.
“Camilla does have a great sense of humour,” the colourist told the Telegraph. “And we both love our gardens.”
Services at Ms Hansford’s Mayfair salon start at £75 for a mens cut and finish and £75-£115 for a blowdry, and go up to as much as £600 for a full head of highlights.
Royal warrants are issued to businesses whose goods or services are favoured by the royals.
Besides her long standing hairdresser, the Queen issued warrants to three couturiers – Anna Valentine, Fiona Clare and Mr Roy – milliner Philip Treacy, skincare product and treatment supplier Heaven Health and Beauty, and veterinary medicinal product supplier The Forum Veterinary Practice.
This year more than 500 companies have been granted royal warrants, a list which was largely drawn from companies that previously held a Royal Warrant of Appointment from Queen Elizabeth II or from King Charles when he was Prince of Wales.
Companies granted the coveted recognition include everything from the Moet & Chandon for champagne and Jaguar Land Rover for manufacturing vehicles, to Kelloggs for cereals, Dunelm for soft furnishings, and DHL for parcel services.
Nearly 400 companies were granted a warrant in December, following the 152 grants issued in May earlier this year.
The King began granting warrants as Prince of Wales in 1980.
