Royal family
Find out how Princess Charlotte reacted when she saw her father rocking a beard over his usual clean-shaven look.
Royal fans know that Prince William has been sporting a beard lately, but what some don’t know is that Princess Charlotte isn’t a fan of it. So while there’s been a debate about whether folks like the Prince of Wales better with or without the beard, his daughter made it clear exactly what side she’s on.
In November, William was photographed several times during his trip to South Africa with a beard. But he initially debuted his facial hair in a video message congratulating Team GB’s athletes during the 2024 Paris Olympics back in August. However, a few weeks later, he was clean-shaven and recently revealed that Charlotte was behind that.
Here’s what the prince shared about Charlotte’s reaction when she first saw his beard and why she agreed to let him grow it back.
Princess Charlotte’s reaction to Prince William’s beard caused him to shave it
In an interview during his trip to South Africa, William admitted that Princess Charlotte disliked his beard so much that she cried when she first saw it prompting him to go back to a clean shave.
Express noted that when the prince was asked if the family liked his new look, he responded: “Well Charlotte didn’t like it the first time. I got floods of tears, so I had to shave it off.”
William then explained that he decided to bring it back and had a talk with his only daughter to see if he could finally get her to accept it.
“Then I grew it back. I thought, hang on a second and I convinced her it was going to be OK,” he said.
Royal rule the Prince of Wales has to follow as long as he has a beard
Grant Harrold was King Charles’ butler from 2004 to 2011. During his time working for the now-monarch, he also looked after Prince William and Prince Harry whenever they stayed at Highgrove House. Harrold debunked the rumors about strict protocol and that only certain family members are allowed to grow a beard at certain times.
Speaking on behalf of Spin Genie, Harrold said: “Traditionally royals had beards. If you go back in time to the Middle Ages, they always did. It has gone in and out of fashion over different royal eras. The late Prince Philip sometimes sported a beard. King Charles has been seen with a beard, and both Prince William and Harry have too. It’s quite common for royals to go through phases of having a beard, like many men do during their lifetime. For the royals, it’s a personal choice. Yes, it’s to do with fashion, but it’s also to do with what they feel like doing at the time.”
So while beards for royal men are a personal preference, there is one rule they must follow as long as they grow their beard. According to Harrold, it must be kept neat. That means always “trimmed and tidy.”
“It’s obviously important to maintain a beard, keep it trimmed and tidy, all those sorts of things, which [William] will have plenty of experience and advice on,” the former butler explained, before adding, “I think he’s probably just wanted to try something different. He might have found there were a couple of days he didn’t shave, you can quickly forget how you look with a beard. There will definitely be people around him saying he looks good with it, which will encourage it to stay.”
