BY ROYAL APPOINTMENT

Hairdresser to the stars Jo Hansford tells us about her journey from humble roots to forming a close bond with the Queen

- TRACY SCHAVERIEN

Jo Hansford has been hairdresser to the Queen for 35 years, preparing her for some of the biggest events of her life and becoming a trusted confidante along the way.

She was among the first people to find out when Camilla became engaged to the then Prince of Wales 20 years ago, when she tinted her hair ahead of the official announcement, and was also on hand before the wedding blessing at St George's Chapel in Windsor in April 2005.

Now, the Queen has rewarded Jo - dubbed "the best tinter on the planet" by US Vogue-with a prestigious royal warrant, one of only seven issued by Her Majesty and the first awarded to a hair salon.

"It's a great honour," Jo tells HELLO! as she joins us for this exclusive interview and photoshoot at home in Hertfordshire alongside her daughter Joanna - the business's managing director and granddaughters Tierney, 16, who works at the salon on Saturdays, and Elsie, 18.

"When we started the business in 1993, the industry gave me three months because I was a woman. And I think: 'Well, here we are, and this is what we've achieved.' It's amazing."

Jo's eponymous salons have been a celebrity destination since she established her business in London's Mayfair, with a client list reading like a who's who of Hollywood and high society.

FAMOUS FACES

Famous visitors have included Adele, Elizabeth Hurley, Dame Joanna Lumley, Dido, Georgia May Jagger and Yasmin Le Bon, many of them going unrecognised because of the clever layout, which is designed to ensure that clients don't sit directly next to one another.

"Quite often, a client will say: 'I never see anyone famous when I come in,' and we say: "Well, actually, you were just sitting next to soand-so," Joanna says.