There’s no doubt that Prince William is a devoted dad to his three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

But he has admitted that one of his decisions actually left his daughter in “floods of tears”. In August 2024, William surprised fans by debuting a new beard in a video alongside Princess Kate, as they praised the achievements of the nation’s athletes at the Paris Olympics. And it seems here to stay, much to the delight of fans who have been quick to praise the Prince’s rugged new look. Princess Charlotte, however, had a very different reaction to William’s facial hair.

William was asked about his stubble at the end of a four-day visit to Cape Town in November. He admitted: “Charlotte didn’t like it the first time. I got floods of tears the first time I grew a beard, so I had to shave it off. And then I grew it back. I thought, hang on a second and I convinced her it was going to be okay.”

When one of the reporters told the Prince that his new facial hair gives him a laid-back, ‘relaxed’ look, William expressed 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,” he said about the past 12 months, which saw both his wife, Princess Kate, and father, King Charles, diagnosed with cancer. “But it’s more a case of just crack on and you’ve got to keep going,” he said.

It comes after Prince Harry famously claimed that William was ‘jealous’ of the fact he was allowed to have a beard at his 2018 wedding. Writing in his tell-all memoir Spare, Harry said: “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.”

When William found out he was granted permission, Harry said he “became livid” and claimed his older brother said: “You put her in an uncomfortable position, Harold! She had no choice but to say yes.” According to Harry, William would not let the issue drop, with the argument continuing for more than a week. It reportedly culminated with William ordering Harry to shave it off.

The Duke claimed he responded by saying: “For the love of God, Willy, why does this matter so much to you? ‘Because I wasn’t allowed to keep my beard.’ Ah, there it was. After he’d come back from an assignment with Special Forces, Willy was sporting a full beard, and someone told him to be a good boy, run along and shave it. He hated the idea of me enjoying a perk he’d been denied.”