Rejoice! Prince William is Keeping His Beard!
The likely reason Prince William has a beard. Plus, the background on his new aide-de-camp and some of the drama from the archives
“After all the stress of asking Granny for permission to marry Meg, I thought I’d never have the courage to ask her for anything else.
And yet I now dared to make another ask: Granny, please, may I, for my wedding, keep my beard?
Not a small ask either. 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.”
Excerpt from Spare by Prince Harry
Hello Dear Readers!
In this week's newsletter, we’re going to take a fun detour and discuss Prince William’s new scruffy beard before diving into the history and gossip. We first noticed Will’s beard during his and Kate’s video message to Team GB during the Olympics last month
Though this was our first glimpse of Catherine, The Princess of Wales, since Trooping the Colour was in May, Prince William’s beard stole the show. Royal fans were captivated by his new look, hoping it would become a permanent style. However, their hopes were dashed when a clean-shaven William was spotted driving to church at Cathie Kirk near Balmoral Castle later that month
Whether someone at Kensington Palace talked some sense into him or perhaps Catherine herself flushed his Wellington Razor down the loo, William reappeared with his beard at his first official engagement back to royal duties.
The return of Prince William’s beard caused a stir, even among American publications with headlines like 'Alert: Prince William is Hot Again!' This confirmed that the beard was here to stay. His subsequent event in Wales featured him sporting the bearded look.
This week, Prince William attended the Sovereign’s Parade at RAF Cranwell on behalf of King Charles. Dressed in his RAF uniform with his new aide-de-camps, he exuded a confidence accentuated by his long-forgotten beard.
Prince William has a history of wearing beards during his downtime, particularly in his younger years. However, in recent times, he has typically opted for a clean-shaven look
Why has Prince William decided to grow a beard after so many years? And how is he permitted to wear one while in his official Air Force uniform? As noted earlier, beards were traditionally prohibited in the Army, with exemptions only for Sikh, Muslim, and Rastafarian service members due to religious reasons. Some speculate that William's decision reflects his newfound independence, now that his grandmother has passed away. Others have used this as an opportunity to criticize his hypocrisy, given his previous objection to Harry's beard at his wedding. However, the truth is more complex. Let's delve into the royal history of beards and revisit a past disagreement between the brothers that occurred nearly two years ago during Queen Elizabeth's funeral.
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