Kate Middleton books Diana's hairdresser for Australia tour

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, is to visit Australia next year and she has reportedly booked hairstylist Joh Bailey, who styled Princess Diana's hair when she visited the country in 1996.

The 31-year-old royal, whose maiden name is Kate Middleton, will be joined by Prince William. The couple is hopeful that they will be able to take baby George with them, much like the late Diana who took nine-month-old William with her to Oz in 1983, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Bailey describes Diana as "the most elegant and gracious lady you could have imagined".

"She had a ball in Sydney and loved everything about the city... She was a lot of fun," Bailey told an Australian newspaper.

"She would sit in the chair flicking through newspaper and magazine clippings, and read absolutely everything the tabloids wrote about her. She had a huge pile of them, throwing them onto the floor either in disgust or laughing... she was very aware of her image," he added.