DANIEL GALVIN JR We join the hairstylist to the stars as he celebrates his big day at the palace
TELLS OF HIS JOY AT RECEIVING AN MBE FROM ‘THE BOSS’ AT THE PALACE
Award-
winning hair colourist to royalty and the stars Daniel Galvin Jr was bursting with pride last week as he received an MBE from the Prince of Wales at St James’s Palace.
And as Prince Charles presented the distinctive medal – awarded in honour of his work for the Prince’s Trust – they chatted like old friends.
“It was the most surreal, magical experience of my life, second only to the birth of my son Rhett,” says Daniel in this exclusive interview and photoshoot with hello!. “The Prince told me: ‘ Well deserved,’ then turned to my mum next to me and said: ‘You must be proud of your son; he’s been very loyal.’
“He asked about my business and we talked about the trust,” continues Daniel, an ambassador
for the charity for 21 years. “Instead of pinning the MBE medal to my lapel, it was presented on a cushion to avoid direct contact because of Covid safety rules.
“I was supposed to pick it up, but ‘the Boss’, as I call HRH, and I were so engaged in conversation that I forgot. So the Prince smiled and said: ‘Daniel, I would like to give it you, but you have to pick it up yourself!’ at which we both burst out laughing.”
Wearing a buttonhole that included a white rose and the leaf of a geranium, one of Charles’s favourite plants, the 51-year-old hair pioneer – whose glamorous clientele includes Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Serena, Countess of Snowdon, Amanda Holden, Kylie Minogue, Kelly Brook and Robbie Williams – recalls: “I felt so emotional, especially as it was ‘the Boss’, who I’ve known for a long time, who presented my MBE to me. I have huge admiration for him; he does more for our society and the environment than people know.”
‘Receiving this honour is the pinnacle of my career. This was one of the best days of my life’
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS
Daniel, who prepared for this special moment with his mum Mavis and sister Louise at his salon in London’s Belgravia, tells how his investiture – postponed due to the pandemic
– took place after one of the worst years of his life.
Wincing at the memory, the fitness fanatic, who is an amateur boxer and runs for two hours a day, sustained serious head injuries in an incident last June.
“I didn’t realise how badly hurt I was until
I started feeling unsteady on my feet at the salon,” he says.
“My assistant sent me straight to see Dr
Tim Evans and to my horror a scan showed that I had multiple skull fractures, and the left side of my head had started to cave in. I was told that being so fit had probably saved my life; that many people would’ve died or ended up in a wheelchair with injuries like that.”
The next day Daniel underwent an emergency operation and since then has endured 14 hours of surgery, which involved rebuilding his left temple and cheekbone.
“Even at my lowest moments, I refused to throw in the towel,”
he says. “I’m taking my life to new heights now.”
His shocking injuries came soon after suffering from nervous exhaustion just before the onset of the pandemic.
“I was doing six long-haul flights every fortnight to the US and Australia,” he says. “My stress levels were through the roof and I was pushing myself too hard. So when lockdown came I slowed down and reassessed my lifestyle.”
However, keeping his business afloat when the salon had to close its doors was a challenge when the bills continued to pour in.
“One of my regulars was so desperate for me to colour her hair that she asked to fly to my country home in her helicopter,” he recalls. “I obviously refused and gave her daughter an online tutorial so that she could do her highlights instead.”
Even during lockdown, Daniel’s commitment to his role as a Prince’s Trust ambassador was a priority.
In addition to engaging Coutts bank to support the trust in its own right, he continued to mentor budding entrepreneurs, including Abigail Fletcher, a mum of two who developed the Eleventh Hour Beauty app, and featured with him in hello! earlier this year.
Daniel recalls how he first came to the Prince’s attention through his organic hair products – his ginger and lime shampoo was a royal favourite. After being summoned to the Palace, he was asked to launch a bodycare range, the Duchy Originals Natural Luxury Collection. He went on to become an ambassador for the trust, set up by the Prince in 1976 to give vulnerable young people practical and financial support.
HEAD START
Embracing his new role, Daniel offered seven young people apprenticeships at his salon.
“They were all hungry to learn and pursue their dreams,” he says. “Six succeeded, with one working on the red carpet, blow-drying Kelly Brook’s and Sharon Osborne’s hair, while another fulfilled his dream of working in Australia.”
D a n i e l a l s o mentored youngsters, often taking calls around the clock to support them.
“Some were struggling to keep a roof over their heads, had no clean clothes, cash to get to work or buy food, or credit on their mobile phones,” he says. “I wanted to help.”
‘Even at my lowest I refused to throw in the towel. I’m taking my life to new heights now’
It was getting his own life back on track after recovering from cocaine addiction in his 20s that motivated him.
“I had a privileged upbringing and after going into rehab was blessed with a second chance,” he says. “I wanted to give these kids a second chance, too.”
Through h i s Headstart initiative, he and his team taught 20 unemployed youngsters hairdressing skills. He also donated £25,000 from sales of his Dubble Trubble organic hair and body wash to the Prince’s Trust.
The range was also distributed to Target and Walmart stores in the US, with a portion of proceeds helping inner-city youths, and at Woolworths in Australia to save endangered turtles.
However, Daniel had no idea he would be recognised for his work until a letter from the Cabinet Office marked “Private” arrived in October 2019.
“I thought: ‘This looks serious, what have I done?’” he recalls. “I tore it open, expecting a massive bill. When I read that I was being honoured with an MBE, tears of joy rolled down my cheeks.
“The first person I told was my wife Suzanna,” he continues. “We’ve been married for 21 years and she’s been there for all the challenges we’ve overcome.”
Last week the former model was isolating at home in the Cotswolds with their 20-year-old son Rhett, who contracted Covid- 19 on holiday in Portugal.
With Daniel at the palace was his 79-year-old mum Mavis, wearing the vintage Gucci dress she’d worn to her husband Daniel Sr’s OBE investiture in 2006.
“There was only one woman I wanted with me and that was my mother,” says Daniel.
To celebrate his big day, Daniel joined loved ones, including his parents, sister Louise and best friend, designer Guy West, for a slap- up lunch with lashings of Billecart- Salmon champagne at Mosimann’s private dining room, opposite his famous salon.
“Receiving this honour is the pinnacle of my career,” he says. “And this was one of the best days of my life.”
‘When I read that I was being honoured with an MBE, tears of joy rolled down my cheeks’