Question: Does the Queen wear wigs?

I say QE II has worn wigs in public for many decades. Have you talked about this in your blog? My sister says she wears expensive wigs . Michael Fagan said he saw her wigs on her makeup table. Can you verify this? I would appreciate your
insight. I say she wears wigs and does so as a convenience.

In all of the books I've read about her, I don't think I've ever heard about her wearing wigs. I'm going to have to say no, I don't think that the Queen wears wigs. Yes, when Michael Fagan broke into the Queen's bedroom in 1982 there were reports that he had seen a wig. The Sun, a tabloid newspaper, reportedly paid his wife, Christine for the rights to her story. Amongst the tantalizing revelations, the Queen wore a shortie nightgown and had the figure of a 16 year old. Viewing photos of her circa 1982, can you picture her owning either?

The Queen has had the same hairstyle, with some slight variations, for the last eighty years. Towards the end of the 1940's, when it was almost to her shoulders, was the longest length she wore it. In the 1950's she had the petalled pin-curl style, fashionable at the time. In the 1960's it resembled a football helmet circa 1938 and she has more or less stuck with this particular look since then.

Unlike her late sister, Princess Margaret, the Queen has never experimented with her looks. She's never worn elaborate updos or changed the color and she seems blessed with hair that hasn't thinned as she has gotten older. When it started to go gray in the late 1980's she stopped dying it altogether. Like her mother and grandmother, the Queen has had the same ubiqitious style - handy for keeping the look of stamps and currency consistent. The only instance of false hair I can find is that her grandmother, Queen Mary, as a young woman, wore an artificial fringe attached to the front hairline called a 'bang'.

She has used the same hairstylist, Ian Carmichael, for the last 11 years. If she wears wigs then only her hairdresser knows for sure.

© Marilyn Braun 2009

Michael Jackson vs Diana - Who will win the funeral stakes?

Since Michael Jackson died almost 2 weeks ago there have been comparisons to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in terms of how shocked the world was when they died. I have to say that Diana's death was far more shocking than Michael Jackson's. He had looked ill and fragile for some time and Diana was bursting with vitality, ready to write the next chapter in her post-royal life. Like Diana, Jackson's death was premature and like Diana, he will be raised to an iconic status. In time we will only remember the good about both of them.

The next comparison to Diana is her funeral. Watched by a billion people it effectly brought most of the world to a stand-still for the week leading up to it. The British royals know how to throw a funeral, on par with the American talent for throwing presidential elections. Diana's funeral was a class act from start to the last glimpse as the hearse drove through the gates of Althorp.

Both funerals could have been private events but each family realized that each of them touched peoples lives. Neither did anything quietly in life, therefore why should it be any different in death? While Diana may have sold more books and newspapers, Michael Jackson is selling more CDs and DVDs. Diana may be frozen in time as a beautiful princess, but Jackson will always be a brilliant entertainer having influenced many of todays top performers.

It will be tough to gauge the response to the memorial service planned at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The service will be broadcast like Diana's funeral, to a world wide audience. But unlike Diana in 1997 we now have Twitter and Facebook to add the element of participation for those unlucky enough to not have won tickets to the event. Billed as the hottest ticket in town, the royals must be shaking their heads at the absence of dignity. Diana may not have been royal, but she was given a send off that set the bar high for the demise of any future public figure. So who will win in the world-wide funeral stakes?

It depends on your tastes.

© Marilyn Braun 2009

The Royal Romance Report for Sunday July 5th, 2009

On the July edition of The Royal Romance Report, can Michael Jackson top Diana in the funeral stakes? Should Andrew and Fergie get back together?

You can listen to the episode here.

Publications mentioned

People Magazine – The Talent and Tragedy of Michael Jackson 1958 – 2009

My Story by Sarah, Duchess of York

Blogs mentioned

British Royal Wedding

The Royal Report will be on hiatus for the next 2 weeks. The show will return on Sunday July 26th, 2009 - topic to be determined. Please feel free to check out my show archives in the interim.

© Marilyn Braun 2009