Is Prince William's Beard 'Hair' to Stay? See Photo Timeline of His Scruff

Mar. 15, 2025

Prince William at an NFL Foundation UK community event in London on Oct. 15, 2024.Photo:KIN CHEUNG/AP POOL/AFP via Getty

KIN CHEUNG/AP POOL/AFP via Getty

IsPrince William’s facial hair becoming a permanent part of his personal style?

Prince William had been previously known to go clean-shaven, as do most men in the British royal family. The proclivity may have stemmed from military tradition, as the British Army only lifted its beard ban for serving soldiers and officers earlier this year, and royals including William have previously served.Prince Harrybroke the mold when he experimented with wearing facial hair in 2013, grew it out again in 2015 and has kept it since. He even receivedspecial permissionfromQueen Elizabethto have it at his wedding toMeghan Marklein 2018, where he wore his military uniform, according to his memoir,Spare.

Prince William at an NFL Foundation UK community event in London on Oct. 15, 2024.Kin Cheung - WPA Pool/Getty

Kin Cheung - WPA Pool/Getty

On Aug. 11, Prince William got the internet talking when heappeared with a beardin a video congratulating Team Great Britain on their success at the 2024 Paris Olympics alongside his wife,Kate Middleton.

Royal watchers were shocked because William hadn’t been seen with scruff since the royal family’s Christmas Day church outing in 2008 — 16 years prior.

Kate Middleton and Prince William in a video issued on Aug. 11, 2024.The Prince and Princess of Wales/instagram

The Prince and Princess of Wales/instagram

The summer stubble didn’t last, and the Prince of Wales waswithout the beardwhen he drove to church with Princess Kate near Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Aug. 25. It’s noteworthy that he was also fresh-faced in theSept. 9 videowith his wife and their kidsPrince George, 11,Princess Charlotte, 9, andPrince Louis, 6, which Princess Kate issued to announce that she completedchemotherapy treatment.

Prince William and Kate Middleton drive to Crathie Kirk church near Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Aug. 25, 2024.TheImageDirect.com

TheImageDirect.com

Before Princess Kate’s update about completing chemotherapy, her husband once more rocked some stubble on Sept. 5, as he informally resumed public duties after the summer holidays. The heir to the throne has stuck with the scruff, wearing a clipped beard at every royal outing since.

Prince William at the Sovereign’s Parade at RAF College Cranwell on Sept. 12, 2024.Karwai Tang/WireImage

Karwai Tang/WireImage

Prince William’s beard wasn’t the only thing that left an impression at the day out for the NFL Foundation UK, according to former New York Giants star Osi Umenyiora!

“He was taller than I thought! He’s a really, really nice guy. Intelligent, intelligent eyes, and I think overall just his understanding, or wanting to understand, about the game of football, and his passion and his engagement with everybody, it was really fascinating and it’s something that I don’t think we’ll forget,” Umenyiora tells PEOPLE.

Adds Jason Bell, who also previously played for the Giants, “It was really easy to engage with him. He was welcoming, he was open, he asked really good questions. He was asking about the intricacies of the game, really trying to understand it. He obviously loves his sport so he’s trying to dig into the minutiae of the game.”

Prince William at an NFL Foundation UK community event in London on Oct. 15, 2024.KIN CHEUNG/AP POOL/AFP via Getty

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Both NFL alumni said that the Prince of Wales threw himself into the NFL Flag event, a provision of the three-year-old foundation which is the NFL’s first international charitable arm and focuses on underserved U.K. areas with low levels of physical activity.

“You’re talking about the future King of England. Somebody like that giving his stamp of approval on a game that’s relatively growing here, I think is going to make the game grow a lot faster than it already has been,” Umenyiora tells PEOPLE. “It’s not a traditional sport, but this is a traditional institution when you talk about the King of England, so he’s now letting it be known that American football is here to stay.”

source: people.com