Kate Middleton

Denise McAdam says Duchess's style is 'maybe a little overdone at times' Calls Princess Anne 'scary' and says Duchess of York has had 'disasters' Scots stylist will appear as a judge on new BBC3 show Hair next Tuesday

By Alasdair Glennie

PUBLISHED: 06:26 EST, 18 February 2014 | UPDATED: 06:39 EST, 18 February 2014

Kate Middleton's trademark chestnut curls usually give the impression that she has stepped straight out of the salon after hours of styling.

But according to Scots stylist Denise McAdam - who cut the hair of the Royal Family for more than three decades - the Duchess of Cambridge's style is, though wonderful, 'maybe a little overdone'.

Looking back on her years tending to the locks of royal women, the veteran hairdresser described Princess Anne as 'scary' and said the Duchess of York has had her 'fair share of disasters'.

She told the Radio Times: 'I don't do the royals any more, although I'm a good friend of the Duchess of Cambridge. I think her hair is wonderful, maybe a little overdone at times. But she always looks lovely.'

Miss McAdam, from Edinburgh, was awarded the Royal Victorian Medal for her services to the royals in 2010. She said the medal was 'for 35 years of keeping my mouth shut'.

But now the 55-year-old hairdresser has left their employment, she clearly felt able to throw some of that discretion to the wind.

'I'm a good friend of the Duchess of Cambridge. I think her hair is wonderful, maybe a little overdone at times. But she always looks lovely' Denise McAdam

Reflecting on the Queen's daughter, she said: 'I ended up dedicating most of my career to royal women and their hair. Princess Anne was the scary one, particularly when I was young.

'It was a simple up-do, so I just used to go in, close my eyes and do it as quickly as possible. Sarah Ferguson, on the other hand, is a great friend.'

The stylist claimed she helped the Duchess acclimatise to life with the royals before she married Prince Andrew in 1986.

She said: 'In the early days I knew the Palace better than her so I used to show her the important places like the carpenter's where you go to have your wardrobes built.

'Then one day I was walking up by Bond Street when this red apparition came running towards me. I said, "Oh my God, you're marrying him aren't you?" and she said, "Yes and you're doing the hair".

'A royal wedding is always wonderful, but Sarah and I have had our fair share of disasters. She always wanted to put bloody flags in her hair.

'But then she also had a super-trendy ponytail at one point, so there were some fabulous times, too.'

Next Tuesday, Miss McAdam will appear as a judge on new BBC3 show Hair, in which eight hairstylists will compete for the title of Britain's best amateur hairdresser.

She will be joined by celebrity stylist Alain Pichon, who has worked with such global A-listers as pop superstar Kylie Minogue, supermodel Claudia Schiffer and former England footballer David Beckham. The Frenchman revealed he has a 'strategy' when cutting Beckham's hair because the 38-year-old's style is so important to him.

He said: 'I never go against his wishes. Saying that, a few years ago he wanted to keep his hair long, but I told him to cut it short.

'Then he tried to grow it again and I said, "This isn't happening. We'll end up with another ponytail and we've done that"...we worked something out.'

He added: 'Madonna has the best hair of anyone I've ever worked with. If you want it straight, it goes the best straight you've ever seen, but if you want it curly, you get brilliant curls. Contrary to what you might think, she wasn't difficult to please.'