Why Prince William's beard sparked tearful reaction from daughter Princess Charlotte
William had to persuade his daughter to let him grow back his beard
Prince William has been winning over fans with his new beard – but it initially left his daughter, Princess Charlotte, in tears.
But it seems Charlotte, nine, has since come to terms with her dad’s new rugged look!
While speaking during a South Africa trip in November 2024, the Prince of Wales opened up about his daughter’s emotional response when she first saw his facial hair.
Prince William ‘convinced’ Charlotte to let him grow back his beard
“Well, Charlotte didn’t like it the first time. I got floods of tears, the first one I got tears, so I had to shave it off,” Prince William revealed to reporters.
However, despite the emotional reaction from his little girl, the future king decided to give the beard another go.
“I thought, hang on a second, and I convinced her it was going to be okay,” he added.
I got floods of tears, the first one I got tears, so I had to shave it off.
Although William, 42, didn’t reveal how he won Charlotte over, GB News spoke to hair expert Jack Miles from Revyv Hair, who explained why young Charlotte may have reacted so emotionally.
“Change is difficult for everyone. Children don’t expect change at a younger age, so seeing her dad with a beard would have been a shock,” Jack explained.
“But I think Charlotte would have been able to get over it. People dye their hair, they get it cut, they grow it out, and guys shave and let their beards grow. It’s normal. I think it’s understandable that Charlotte was confused at first.”
While Charlotte might not have been thrilled about her dad’s beard at first, royal watchers certainly appear delighted.
When William debuted his bearded look in August last year via a video posted to social media, fans were quick to express their approval.
And it seems that the beard is here to stay – much to the delight of fans.
In a recent Instagram post from the Prince and Princess of Wales’ official account, William visited the London Screen Academy. He observed students working on their end-of-year film project.
The photo of William sitting behind the cameras, fully bearded, sent fans into a frenzy.
“He’s rockin’ the beard,” one fan commented with a fire emoji.
“Our very handsome prince!” Another fan gushed.
“Love the beard,” a third added.
Prince Harry’s dispute with Prince William over his beard
Just like William, his younger brother Prince Harry has a full beard. But Harry previously claimed that he and William had a dispute over his beard.
In his tell-all 2023 memoir, Spare, Harry, 40, claimed that William became infuriated when the late Queen Elizabeth II granted him permission to keep his beard for his wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018.
“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,” Harry wrote.
When William found out that Harry had received special permission, Harry claimed his older brother “became livid” and accused him of putting the queen in an “uncomfortable position”.
“She had no choice but to say yes,” William reportedly told Harry.
According to Harry, who recently faced the wrath of his former hairstylist over his ‘thinning’ locks, the dispute lasted for more than a week. During this time, William ordered him to shave it off.
“For the love of God, Willy, why does this matter so much to you?” Harry recalled asking.
“Because I wasn’t allowed to keep my beard,” William allegedly responded.
Harry went on to speculate that William resented him for enjoying a “perk” he was denied when he had to shave off his own beard for his wedding to Kate in 2011.
Read more: Prince William and Kate Middleton’s sleep arrangements after his surprising comment
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