Anna Harvey, the former stylist and confidante of Diana, Princess of Wales, has passed away aged 74. Before her retirement, she worked as the deputy editor of Vogue and in 1997 she was appointed the editorial director of Condé Nast New Markets. Anna was introduced to Princess Diana in 1980. She had been selected to help manage Diana's royal wardrobe shortly after the Princess' engagement to Prince Charles was announced.
Reminiscing about their first meeting to Vogue, Anna said: "I was shaking like a leaf. But I took one look at her and thought, this isn't going to be too difficult after all. She was about 5ft 10in and completely in proportion. Her eyes lit up when she saw all the racks – I don't think she had any idea how many lovely things there were out there – and her enthusiasm was contagious."
Diana and her new friend Anna would sit on the floor in the drawing room of Kensington Palace, looking at sketches and swatches of fabric, and pour over newspaper photographs to see which outfits worked. "She was a very English girl and the romantic style suited her," said Anna. "Everyone was thrilled to do things for her; there was such a feeling of euphoria that here was this young, glamorous girl who loved clothes."
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Anna leaves behind her husband Jonathan and four children. Tributes have poured in for the former editor, whose other magazine credits include Brides and Tatler. "Anna Harvey was one of the great Vogue editors of our time," Jonathan Newhouse, chairman and chief executive of Condé Nast International, said. "She possessed impeccable taste and an unequalled ability to animate fashion in the pages of our magazines. As a person she was discreet, thoughtful and modest while possessing integrity and an inner toughness. She held herself and others to the highest standards. She was, to use a very old-fashioned expression, a real lady."
Diana pictured with Anna (left) in 1995
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Celebrity hairstylist Sam McKnight also took to Instagram to write: "Today comes the sad news of the passing of my dear friend Anna Harvey. Anna took me, a young hairdresser, unknown, just starting out in 1980, on a trip to Paris for British Vogue where she was fashion editor." After describing their time together, Sam added: "I’ll be eternally grateful to Anna, who advised Princess Diana on her wardrobe, for introducing me to the Princess in 1990 on this now iconic photo shoot above. You were a true Lady, dear Anna, an enormous talent, a dedicated mentor, and so much more than I could ever describe in a few lines on Instagram."
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