Prince William stuns fans with his beard and uniform during engagement after taking on role from King Charles
William served in the RAF for four yearsPrince William had royal fans all hot and bothered with his beard and his uniform during an engagement earlier today (Wednesday, June 4).
The Prince of Wales, 42, visited the Army Air Corps (AAC) in Suffolk for the first time in his capacity as the regiment’s Colonel-in-Chief.
Prince of Wales visits Army Air Corps in new role
Wednesday saw William visit the AAC in Suffolk for the first time since being appointed their Colonel-in-Chief back in May 2024.
His father, King Charles, previously held the role. However, he handed it over to his son during a visit to the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop last year.
According to reports at the time, the role would likely have gone to Prince Harry had he not stepped back from life as a working royal.
Harry, of course, served as an Apache commander and co-pilot gunner during his second tour of Afghanistan in 2012.
The AAC is the army’s combat aviation arm. It is made up of several regiments. They are recognisable thanks to their distinct pale blue berets. Over the past year, they have been deployed to the likes of Norway, Finland, Sweden, Estonia and Germany.
Prince William dons uniform in Suffolk as beard takes centre stage
After arriving at the base in his army fatigues, William learned more about the ACC’s work. He also found out about 664 Squadron’s operational lessons from overseas tours.
The prince was also told about how the soldiers are adapting to the recently acquired Apache AH-64E – a world leading attack helicopter.
Later on, he watched a combat PT lesson, before joining the Archer’s Breakfast – a weekly social event held before by 664 squadron for its personnel and their families.
The future king could be seen laughing and joking as he handed out sausage and bacon rolls to the soldiers.
He commented that the food was “very good-smelling, making my mouth water”, before lamenting: “Nothing worse than the smell of bacon in the room and you cannot eat it.”
At the end of his visit, the prince handed out King’s Commendation for Valuable Service. He also awarded soldiers their promotion from Corporal to Sergeant.
It’s safe to say that royal fans were enjoying seeing William in his army fatigues today. Once again, his beard also gained attention from fans.
“Prince William, you are hot to trot [flame emoji],” one fan wrote on X.
Another commented on Instagram: “Always a good day when William is in uniform!”
A third said on Instagram: “I love the beard era so much.”
Another added: “I am beginning to dig the beard a lot.”
What did Prince William do in the military?
Prince William served in the army with the Blues and Royals, a cavalry regiment, in 2006.
He later served as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot. Between 2009 and 2013, he participated in 156 search and rescue operations, which resulted in 149 people being saved.
In 2015, he began a full-time role as a pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance. He felt as though this was a natural career progression from his role with the RAF.
He left the role in 2017 to focus on becoming a full-time working royal.
Read more: Prince William and Kate Middleton’s three-word ‘question’ to Harry over Meghan Markle
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