5 Bearded Prince William Looks That Missed The Mark

When you think of British royals and beards, the first person to come to mind would likely be Prince Harry, whose facial hair has become a signature part of his look over the years. The Duke of Sussex was notably the first member of the British royal family in over a century to sport a beard on his wedding day (when Harry married Meghan Markle in 2018). The beard in question — which he described to ITV as "a shield to my anxiety" (via the Daily Mail) — has become so iconic that Harry looks completely different in photos without his facial hair. In fact, as the royal defector admitted to his older brother, Prince William, ahead of his nuptials, "I don't believe that Meghan's gonna recognize me if she comes up the aisle and sees me beardless."

Unlike Harry, however, other royals looked completely different in the rare moments they did rock facial hair. His late grandfather Prince Philip was every inch the dashing but scruffy former navy man in 1965 when he sported an impressively full beard during a solo tour of the Commonwealth. Harry's father King Charles III was photographed with a beard and even a mustache during his 20s back in the 1970s, with the future monarch growing a full beard during his rugged time with the Royal Navy. William also grew out his beard in 2008 but has been almost exclusively clean-shaven ever since. It wasn't until August 2024 that the Prince of Wales was seen with any sort of facial hair again. But while we can't fault William for giving facial hair another try, the looks he's paired with it haven't all been great, whether in 2008 or the 2020s. 

Somewhat shockingly, the above photos were taken just seven months apart, back in 2008. But based on how much that scruffy, patchy beard aged Prince William, who was just 26 at the time, you'd think it was seven years instead. The beloved royal officially debuted his facial hair upon joining the rest of The Firm for their classic royal Christmas tradition of walking together to church at Sandringham to attend the festive service. William served in the British Royal Navy for two months that year, and like his father, King Charles III, chose to grow out his beard during his time at sea. 

Just a few days prior, William was also snapped rocking the beard while hunting pheasants in Sandringham, with Prince Harry and then-girlfriend Kate Middleton, but the Christmas walkabout marked the first time he attended a public event with it. While William's growth itself wasn't terrible, it wasn't nearly as full and flattering as Charles' beard during his Navy days, and ended up being a minus point to the prince's heartthrob looks. Even Williams wasn't feeling the facial hair at the time, according to one well-wisher who got to talk to the prince during the royal family's Christmas Day outing. 

"He stroked his chin, felt his beard, and said: 'Not very good. It's coming off,'" Mary Relph recalled while speaking to The Sun (via UPI). That was the last time the world saw William with a beard before 2024. After Christmas, he shaved it off prior to undergoing training as a pilot with the Royal Air Force, which prohibits facial hair.

Royal fans got a revival of the Prince William beard via a video he and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales shared in August 2024 expressing their appreciation to all the athletes who represented the U.K. during the 2024 Paris Olympics. While it was an unusual appearance for the Princess of Wales, who was still undergoing cancer treatment at the time, William stole the spotlight from his wife, with social media users thirsting over the rugged-looking royal sporting stubble and a blue polo shirt. Shortly after, he was spotted clean-shaven again, but William soon brought back the beard amid royal family turmoil (possibly also due to popular demand).

Two months later, however, the prince was sadly giving divorced father rather than cool, sporty dad when he made an appearance at a flag football event held by the NFL Foundation U.K., in London, in October 2024. The massive sports fan showed off his throwing skills and played some flag football with young people while wearing a rumpled-looking light blue button-down, navy blue suit, white sneakers, and a patchy salt-and-pepper beard. But though he didn't look like he was appropriately dressed for a day of playing catch with the kids, William impressed both young and older players alike with his throwing arm. 

"It was great. It was a lot better than mine," Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Louis Rees-Zammit acknowledged to People, of William's talent for throwing footballs, before going on to joke, "Thankfully in my position, I just have to run and catch. He could definitely be a quarterback one day!" A teenage player named Kavay was also all praise for the Prince of Wales, enthusing, "He can throw very, very well. I told him how you have to hold the ball. He picked it up well."

Prince Harry made a startling revelation in his tell-all memoir "Spare" that beards were a sore point between him and estranged older brother Prince William. The royal defector disclosed that William complained when the Duke of Sussex was given permission by their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II to keep his facial hair for his wedding to Meghan Markle and suggested that he secretly harbored feelings of resentment over having to shave off his own beard following William's 2008 stint in the Royal Navy. "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," Harry wrote, per Newsweek.

Once William brought back his beard in August 2024, he seemed determined to stick with it as the prince continued to rock it in the following months. However, the Prince of Wales may need some lessons from Harry when it comes to bearded red carpet looks. Just a day after his flag football appearance, a stubble-sporting William graced the 2024 Centrepoint Awards in London, organized by the U.K. charity of the same name of which he is a patron, which helps young people dealing with homelessness. 

William wore a well-fitted blue velvet jacket, black slacks, a white button-down shirt, and a black bow tie. However, one accessory did not match the elegant, formal look: his scruff. While style and grooming might not have been the top priority for the prince considering the real highlight of the event was, of course, the winners, he looked a bit out of place next to the other dapper, clean-shaven, and tuxedo-clad attendees.

The year 2024 was a difficult one for the royal family, but it ended on a positive note, with a now-cancer-free Catherine, Princess of Wales being able to join her husband Prince William, their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, and the rest of their extended family on their annual Christmas Day walk. Kate served yet another amazing look in her chic green coat, matching fascinator, blue and green plaid scarf, black gloves, and boots. Her three kids all matched with their mom in their own ways, with Charlotte donning a plaid coat and Louis and George rocking green ties.

William twinned with his eldest son in an elegant navy blue coat but the patchy beard he sported — seemingly a repeat of his 2008 style fail — was considerably less chic. From the side, it looked like he started shaving off certain parts but changed his mind after a couple of swipes of his razor. Fortunately, it didn't take away from William and his family's happy smiles as they walked hand-in-hand and greeted well-wishers. 

In addition to having his wife by his side following her health ordeal, the Christmas stroll itself holds a special place in William's heart. "I have strong memories of walking down here, and my grandfather [Prince Philip], he used to walk so fast that there'd be huge gaps and spaces between all of us walking down, and there'd be us at the back with little legs trying to keep up," he shared on the podcast "Time to Walk" in 2021.

Prince William continued to sport a beard while fulfilling his royal duties in February 2025. The Prince of Wales met aspiring filmmakers and creative professionals at the London Screen Academy and got to see how they were learning the skills to pursue careers in many sectors of the film and television world. William watched these creative students in action, but he chose perhaps the most uninspired outfit for the engagement: A black sweater worn over a light blue button-down shirt, paired with a navy blue jacket and pants. Though he isn't exactly known for taking fashion risks, it wouldn't have hurt to wear a different color besides blue and black, or even something less stuffy considering the meeting was with a bunch of young creatives. 

William's beard did provide a distraction from his uninteresting outfit but not in a good way considering it was as patchy as ever. Nonetheless, the facial hair seems to be here to stay — at least for the time being. His former royal aide Jason Knauf confirmed to "60 Minutes Australia," also in February 2025, that William didn't seem open to shaving it all off any time soon. "I've talked to [William] about it — or tried to talk to him about it. He's like, 'It's here. I have a beard.' No further conversation," Knauf explained.

The prince's scruffy facial hair also got the stamp of approval from his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, and daughter, Princess Charlotte. While Kate Middleton hasn't spoken publicly about the return of her husband's beard, Knauf reckons that, "If she didn't like it, it wouldn't be there." During his November 2024 visit to South Africa, William shared that his facial hair initially caused "floods of tears" when he showed it to Charlotte, but the prince eventually "convinced her it was going to be okay," per People.