Duchess of Cornwall Camilla gets a VERY expensive makeover at Jo Hansford salon

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The Duchess of Cornwall showed off a sleek new bob during a pair of London engagements yesterday
Camilla is thought to have had the chop at London's Jo Hansford salon where prices for a cut go up to £160
Highlights at the same salon start at £155 for a half head and rise to £500 for a full head like the Duchess'
Latest step in a glamorous makeover, which has left the Duchess looking and dressing better than ever
Eschews high street brands for couture, in particular Bruce Oldfield, Edina Ronay and Anna Valentine
The Duchess also has an impressive jewel collection with her engagement ring alone thought to be worth £100,000

By Ruth Styles for MailOnline

Published: 06:08 EST, 12 June 2015 | Updated: 11:38 EST, 12 June 2015

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When the Duchess of Cornwall stepped out an event to unveil a statue dedicated to her late brother yesterday, all eyes were on her - and it wasn't only because of her central role in proceedings.

For Camilla, although always neatly turned out, was looking unusually fashionable. Gone were the frumpy suits and lumpy tweeds that once dominated her wardrobe and in their place, an elegant silk dress by Anna Valentine - the couturier who created her wedding gown in 2005.

Clutching a daring sequinned clutch in the shade of a tin of baked beans, the 67-year-old also took the opportunity to show off a new hairstyle - the first real change she has made since she was a thirty-something mother of two young children.

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It's Glamilla! The Duchess of Cornwall shows off her remarkably fresh complexion and glamorous new bob haircut in London yesterday

Gone were the trademark flicks and bouffant bounce that have become so familiar over the years and in their place, a sleeker, noticeably shorter style that gently skimmed the top of her collarbones.

The new 'do is thought to be the work of Hugh Green, the 71-year-old freelancer who accompanies the Duchess on international tours at the cost of a reported £1,600 a day, or the team at the Jo Hansford Salon in Mayfair where a cut is a snip at £70 - although prices rise to £160 for complex chops.

Camilla's blonde highlights are also done at Jo Hansford and cost an equally eye-watering amount. Starting £155 for a half-head of highlights, a full head like the Duchess' can cost up to £500.

But striking though the Duchess' new hair is, it isn't the only part of her that has seen a change. Her skin too looks noticeably fresher and plumper than usual, the result, say sources, of regular bee venom facials performed at home by top facialist Deborah Mitchell.

Dubbed 'nature's botox', apotoxins trick the complexion into thinking it has been slightly - with the result the body sends blood to the area, stimulating collagen production in the process.

Chic: The Duchess was resplendent in a silk printed dress by Anna Valentine - the designer behind her 2005 dove grey wedding gown

Confident: The Duchess shows off a quirky bag shaped like a can of beans and her engagement ring - it is thought to be worth £100,000

Assured: Camilla, seen here with Flight Lieutenant Owen Burns (left) earlier this week, has become increasingly stylish in recent years

Holding her own: Indeed, she managed to hold her own when faced with Dame Joan Collins at a Royal Academy gala last week

Queen of couture: Most of Camilla's clothes, for public engagements at least, are bespoke. Most also have waist-emphasising darts fitted

Devotees say the results are impressive and range from reduced lines and wrinkles to improved texture and a complexion that appears 'visibly younger' than previously.

Maintaining her fresh-faced look doesn't come cheap either thanks to the soaring cost of bee venom - £30,000 for a single ounce. No surprise then, that a 50ml pot of Mitchell's Bee Venom mask comes in at £73.

The same product in eye cream form costs a similarly pricey £73 while an exfoliating scrub containing apotoxin costs an eye-watering £47.16 for just 30ml.

Facials using the products cost £55 in salons but the Duchess, who is believed to have Mitchell travel to Clarence House to perform the facial, is thought to pay £165 for hers.

The results have left even the professionals impressed. 'Camilla's face isn't that of an average sixty-something,' explains top Harley Street skin specialist Dr Neetu Nirdosh. 'Her fresh appearance could be down to the use of subtle cosmetic treatments, particularly dermal fillers and Botox but not in the bog standard upper face regions.

'Her cheeks are plump and her cheekbones are located quite high up. Her jawline and neck are also perfectly angled and firm - and there's no sign of jowls. Such a defined jawline is not usual in someone her age.'

Camilla shows off her glam new wardrobe and baked bean bag

Not so chic: Camilla, pictured in 2005 (left) and 2008 (right), used to be famous for her love of an unflattering tweed suit

Change: Camilla, pictured in 2001, at her niece Santa's wedding in 1998 and running errands in 1995, has changed her style since her marriage

Favourite: The Duchess, pictured at the Commonwealth Day service in March and the VE Day celebration in May, often chooses Bruce Oldfield

Expensive taste: This ruby and diamond parure was a gift according to Clarence House and is estimated to be worth in excess of £1m

Along with a remarkably youthful complexion, Camilla is also in excellent shape. Always fond of riding and country walks, she has never been one to sit at home on the sofa overindulging in sweet treats, although she is thought to have a fondness for the odd drink.

But keeping the weight off has proved harder in recent years, after a knee injury forced her to give up riding, while a painful back has, on occasions, left her confined to the house, and has sometimes even left her having to pull out official engagements.

In spite of that, the Duchess has managed to maintain a svelte size 10 figure - which she is only too happy to show off with the help of a wardrobe of bespoke tailoring, much of it tweaked with added darts at the waist to emphasise her narrow physique.

Then there's the wardrobe itself, which, like that of Sophie Wessex, is a smorgasbord of designer brands with none of the high street labels beloved of the Duchess of Cambridge.

But while Camilla doesn't share her daughter-in-law's taste for a cheap chic buy, she does appear to have cherry-picked the best bits from the 33-year-old's demure-but-glamorous rule book.

Like Kate, she patronises a handful of go-to designers, all of whom can be relied upon to create pieces that flatter her figure while catering for special requests such as putting in those waist-defining extra darts.

Camilla, who has help from the Queen's former dresser Jane Meakin, is fond of veteran names such as Bruce Oldfield, Edina Ronay and Anna Valentine, but does occasionally follow Her Majesty's lead and ask couturier Stewart Parvin to create something special.

Spectacular: Camilla often wears the Greville Tiara, which was once owned by the Queen Mother, on special occasions

Hats you win: Camilla is a fan of good headwear, including her favourite £170 Lock & Co fur and tweed winter number (left)

All change: Camilla's style has become increasingly polished since her wedding in 2005, to which she wore Anna Valentine

Stylish: Like Sophie Wessex, she has taken a leaf or two from the Duchess of Cambridge's demure rule book

Stunning: Most of her evening wear comes from Oldfield, who specialises in couture and charges up to £27,000 for a dress

Reliable: Oldfield, who once said he gave Camilla her confidence back, is often chosen for tours, including visits to the US and Sri Lanka

None of them come cheap. Oldfield, for instance, does nothing but couture with prices for his pieces starting at an eye-watering £18,000 and shooting up to £27,000 and more for something elaborate.

Anna Valentine's website, meanwhile, advises that prices for her dresses are available 'on request' - designer code for if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it.

It's a similar story at Philip Treacy, the Duchess' milliner of choice, although her other favourite hat purveyor, traditionalists Lock & Co, do advertise their prices - Camilla's fur-lined favourites can be yours for a relatively inexpensive £170.

But while her wardrobe might be expensive, her jewel collection is truly priceless - and includes a spectacular ruby and diamond parure thought to be worth in excess of £1m.

The jewels, which had their most recent outing at the première of The Second Best Marigold Hotel in February, were 'a gift' according to Clarence House - most likely from one of the Saudi sheikhs who have made a habit of lavishing expensive jewels on fellow royals.

Camilla's rubies aren't the only jewels in her collection, however. Much more has come from Prince Charles who, according to sources, wants his wife to have the best of everything and cannot resist lavishing expensive jewels on her.

Then there are the heritage pieces such as the spectacular pearl choker presented to Camilla's great-grandmother Alice Keppel by her lover, Charles' great-great-grandfather, Edward VII.

Charles and Camilla enjoy dance performance in Galway

The white stuff: Camilla, seen here in Papua New Guinea in 2012 and in Normandy last year, has embraced a paler palette

Pale and interesting: Camilla, seen here with Ben and Georgie Ainslie at the Art Antiques Party on Wednesday, also loves a splash of pink

Pretty in pink: As the Duchess ages, flatteringly soft powder pink has become an increasingly dominant colour in her wardrobe

According to friends, Charles buys pieces from Mrs Keppel's extensive jewellery collection whenever he can before giving them to his 67-year-old wife to wear.

Some, however, such as the Keppel Ruby and Diamond tiara, have passed down through Camilla's family. The piece is made from gold and platinum and is set with diamonds and, unusually, synthetic rubies, which combined symbolise enduring love.

The tiara, says top jeweller Steve Bennett, typifies the Duchess' taste. 'She treads the line between quiet taste and obvious glamour faultlessly and she always chooses pieces that are appropriate for her position,' he explains.

'These pieces are regal without being flamboyant, classic without seeming dated. She has an innate appreciation of unique pieces of jewellery in all shapes and forms.

'Her taste for understated elegance has been increasingly noticed by the public, but in the 10 years since her engagement we have seen her emerge as something of an icon.'

Camilla is regularly seen in the Greville necklace, a spectacular five-row diamond necklace that was owned by the Queen Mother and was most famously worn to meet King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid of Denmark when they visited the UK in 1951.

Looking good: Camilla has also mastered dressing for big occasions and is seen here in Mexico (left) and during the Mexican State Visit (right)

Softer: Camilla's flattering new bob goes with a wardrobe full of expertly cut tailoring and some exceptional jewellery

Supportive: Although stylish, Camilla is the mistress of appropriate - and managed to hit just the right note in Mullaghmore last month

Tour de force: Like the Queen, Camilla has also mastered the art of referencing the host during overseas tour including (left) green in Ireland

While the Greville jewels are saved for special occasions, one piece that is seen almost every day is the Duchess of Cornwall's £100,000 engagement ring, which, like the Greville jewels, once belonged to the Queen Mother.

'Her engagement ring is spectacular,' adds Bennett. 'Designed in the 1920’s, it is a royal heirloom that a square- cut central diamond flanked by six diamond baguettes in a platinum setting.

'Tasteful and timeless, the ring is very similar to the one given to Angelina Jolie by Brad Pitt, and demonstrates the Duchess’ increasing influence on jewellery trends.'

In contrast to the trademark pale and pearls look worn for engagements, her country clothes, many by couturier Roy Allen who specialises in making tweed look less rural matron and more glamorous matriarch, come in earth tones and are often worn with warm hats by milliner Lock & Co.

Behind the scenes, friends say she still enjoys relaxing in the comfortable clothes she loved before her marriage. In public, however, the 67-year-old Duchess seems bent on proving that you can be a style icon well beyond your 30s.