Rules around facial hair for royals
While the King and the Prince of Wales have both grown out their facial hair in the past, they have stuck to a clean-shaven appearance.
Queen Elizabeth II reportedly asked William to shave off his beard while he was on a military secondment.
William with a beard on Christmas Day 2008
Up until recent months, soldiers were not permitted to grow their facial hair while in the British Army.
The guidelines were relaxed in March and beards and moustaches must be neat, properly groomed and will be routinely checked.
Meanwhile, the Royal Air Force has permitted its personnel to sport facial hair since 2019, while the Royal Navy has allowed beards and moustaches for years.
Prince Harry wrote about asking his grandmother, the late Queen, for permission to keep his beard on his wedding day to Meghan Markle in 2018.
But Harry claimed in his memoir Spare, released in January 2023, that William “bristled” when he explained that keeping his beard made him feel calmer.
“Maybe it was Freudian – beard as security blanket. Maybe it was Jungian – beard as mask. Whatever, it made me calmer, and I wanted to feel as calm as possible on the day of my wedding,” he wrote.
He claims that William told him: “Not the done thing, he said. Military, rules, so forth.”
Harry wrote that his brother “wouldn’t let it go” and that the disagreement continued “in person, on the phone, for more than a week” before William admitted that his grievance with Harry’s facial hair was because he wasn’t allowed to keep his.
Related Posts
For Nine Months, My Husband Told Me, “You Can Handle It Yourself.” When Our Daughter Was Born, I Did Exactly That. He Rushed Into the Hospital Three Hours Late, Demanding to Know Why No One Had Called Him. I Just Looked at Him and Said, “You’re Not Late for the Birth, Derek. You’re Late for Us.” Then My Lawyer Walked In With the Papers I’d Signed Weeks Ago
At 2 A.M., I Called My Parents in Tears and Begged, “Please Come Get Me and My 6-Year-Old Daughter. We Can’t Stay Here Another Night.” Mom Called Me Dramatic. Dad Told Me to Stop Blaming My Husband. Then I Discovered Why They Refused to Help: My Husband Had Been Secretly Paying Them $10,000 Every Month to Keep Them on His Side. I Hung Up, Took My Little Girl, and Disappeared Before Sunrise. By Morning, My Husband Was Calling in a Panic, Shouting, “What Have You Done?!” He’d Finally Discovered the One Secret About His Business Empire That I’d Kept From Him All Along
Just 90 Minutes Before My Wedding, My Son’s Nanny Walked Into My Room Holding My 11-Month-Old Baby and Whispered, “Please, Don’t Go Downstairs. You Need to Hear This First.” Then She Played a Recording of My Bride’s Secret Phone Call About My Fortune—and the Son I Had Always Believed Was Mine. I Listened in Silence as Her True Plans Unfolded. With 200 Guests Waiting Downstairs, I Made One Decision My Bride Never Saw Coming: I Canceled Our Wedding Before She Could Walk Down the Aisle
My 8-Year-Old Daughter Was Almost in Tears When the Restaurant Manager Pointed at My Muddy Boots and Said, “We Don’t Serve People Like You in This Section.” She Called Security, Gave Us Two Minutes to Leave, and Smirked as the Other Diners Watched. I Quietly Sent One Text Instead of Arguing. What She Didn’t Know Was That the Person Receiving My Message Could Change Everything About Her Future at That Restaurant
