Prince William returned to work this week following the Royal Family’s informal tradition, initiated by Queen Elizabeth, of taking time off from late July through August. Before this, he was last seen on 14 July in Germany with Prince George and recently attended his uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes’ funeral, where Prince Harry was also present.
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Weeks after reuniting with Harry, Prince William broke the cover with a new change in his look. The future King brought back his beard as he attended his first public engagement following the summer break.
Prince William spotted with a beard, fans react to his changing looks
According to People magazine, the Prince of Wales attended the Homelessness: Reframed exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London on 5 September. At the event, he was spotted with some facial hair – a subtle summer stubble. This surprised many royal fans as the Prince is usually known for being clean-shaven.
He had previously drawn attention to his beard after posting a video with Kate Middleton on social media. This was the first instance where his beard became a talking point. The couple posted a video congratulating Team GB after their success at the Paris Olympics. The heir to the throne sported noticeable stubble, and social media was quick to comment, with many fans expressing their approval of his new look. Many fans took to Instagram to comment:
Definitely loving the beard.
Prince William looks attractive with a beard
Prince William's beard is back. Today is going to be a great day, I can feel it.
While some took to X (formerly Twitter) and shared:
I’m so glad the beard is back. Prince William is dashingly handsome! 😍
Prince William sporting a beard and a tan as he returns to royal duties after his summer break!! What do you think of the beard, 👍🏻 or 👎🏻? pic.twitter.com/RP09mPgEK4
— Royal News Network (@RNN_RoyalNews) September 5, 2024
Prince William isn’t the only heir to support a beard, King Charles has also done that previously on occasions.
Prince William and Prince Harry’s ‘beard-gate’
While Royal watchers were pleasantly surprised by William’s beard, Prince Harry may have been more shocked. The Duke of Sussex previously revealed that the brothers had a disagreement about facial hair during Harry’s 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle, according to Mirror.
In his memoir Spare, Harry shared details of ‘beard-gate’ and explained how he was granted permission by Queen Elizabeth II to keep his beard for his wedding. Reportedly, the same request had been denied to William when he wanted to keep a beard for his 2011 wedding to Kate Middleton.
Harry revealed that William ‘found it hard’ to accept that he was told to shave off his beard, writing in Spare:
And yet I now dared to make another ask – Granny, please, may I, for my wedding, keep my beard? Not a small ask either. A beard was thought by some to be a clear violation of protocol and long-standing norms, especially since I was getting married in my Army uniform. Beards were forbidden in the British Army.
According to Harry, William became ‘livid’ when he found out that Harry had been allowed to keep his facial hair. William reportedly said:
You put her in an uncomfortable position, Harold! She had no choice but to say yes.
After weeks of arguments about his beard, when Harry asked his brother why the beard bothered him so much, William allegedly replied:
Because I wasn't allowed to keep my beard.
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Sources used
People Magazine: Prince William's Beard Is Back as He Returns to Work After Summer with Kate Middleton and Kids
Mirror: Prince William 'told Prince Harry to shave his beard' for wedding in 'jealous' feud
