Prince William made headlines in August when he revealed a rough new appearance that appears to be here to stay. Much to the joy of his admirers, the future King has grown a beard, and he is not the first heir-to-the-throne to do so.
His father, Charles, had a very similar look in the 1970s. During his time in the Royal Navy from 1971 to 1976, the then-Prince of Wales abandoned his clean-shaven appearance.
Unlike the Army, the Navy has allowed its military members to have facial hair for more than a century. And Charles decided to take advantage of this rule.
In September 1971, Charles began his naval career by enrolling in a six-week course at the Royal Naval College Dartmouth.
From 1971 to 1972, he served on the guided-missile destroyer HMS Norfolk, the frigates HMS Minerva from 1972 to 1973, and HMS Jupiter in 1974.
That same year, he also became a helicopter pilot. The King spent his final ten months of active service in the Navy commanding the coastal minehunter HMS Bronington, which began on February 9, 1976.
His father, Prince Philip, grandfather, King George VI, and two great-grandfathers all had successful naval careers. Meanwhile, William recently revealed his daughter Princess Charlotte’s reaction to his beard, and it’s safe to say she was not impressed.
The Prince discussed his facial hair on the final day of a four-day vacation to Cape Town in November, admitting, “Charlotte didn’t like it the first time.” I experienced torrents of tears the first time I grew a beard, so I had to cut it off. Then I grew it back. I paused for a while and assured her that everything would be fine.
When a reporter mentioned that his stubble gave him a’relaxed’ appearance, William responded with surprise, “It’s interesting you say that, because I couldn’t be less relaxed this year, so it’s very interesting you’re all seeing that,” reflecting on a difficult year that included serious health concerns for both his wife, Princess Kate, and his father, the King.
“But it’s more a case of just crack on and you’ve got to keep going,” according to him.
The modification in Prince William’s grooming is consistent with the Army’s recent policy changes. Soldiers and officers can now wear beards while serving if they are clean and well-maintained, beginning in March 2024.
This modification comes after a prior prohibition that reportedly caused problems between Prince William and Prince Harry, with the Duke of Sussex claiming his brother was ‘jealous’ since Harry was allowed to grow a beard for his 2018 wedding.
Harry wore military gear when he married Meghan Markle, which typically required a clean-shaven appearance.
However, Harry asked the Queen for special permission to keep his beard for his wedding, which apparently irritated his brother. In his insightful memoir Spare, Harry wrote: “And yet I now dared to make another request – Granny, please, may I keep my beard for my wedding?” It is not a trivial request either.
Some people thought having a beard was an obvious violation of etiquette and long-standing standards, especially because I was being married in my Army uniform. Beards were not allowed in the British Army.”