Prince William has a beard and whether people love it or loathe it has become a hot topic of conversation.
But the subject isn’t just being explored around watercoolers, with members of the British royal family also having very different reactions.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about the Prince of Wales’ hot new look…
Why has Prince William grown a beard?
Prince William first showed off a bit of facial scruff in a video he made alongside Princess Catherine in August.
After disappearing for a bit, his new look was back with a vengeance as William headed to Cape Town for the Easthshot Awards, and attended Remembrance Day events in London.
As for why, well the simple answer could be that his wife just happens to like it- a lot!
As Kate returned to work to watch her husband lay a commemorative wreath on November 10, she shared a hilarious exchange over it with the Duchess of Edinburgh.
“‘What, you like a beard?”’ lip reader Nicola Hickling told The Sun Duchess Sophie asked Kate.
‘“I find it quite rousing”’, came Kate’s reply, according to the expert.
Then as the pair looked at each other and giggled, Hicking added Sophie quipped, “‘You’re all better now.”’
Kate’s reaction was very different to their daughter Princess Charlotte. who William admitted was “in floods of tears” the first time she saw him with stubble.
“So I had to shave it off,” William told reporters in Cape Town.
However a few months later, William gave it another try and “convinced her it was going to be okay.”
Are royals allowed to have facial hair?
There are no official royal prohibitions on facial hair meaning that WIlliam is free to grow a beard, which he has done on and off over the years.
Many people incorrectly believe it was not allowed after Prince Harry revealed they got in an argument over his facial hair.
In Harry’s bombshell memoir Spare, the Duke of Sussex claimed William ordered him to shave his beard for his 2018 wedding to meghan Markle.
However, at the time, beards were not permitted to be worn in the British Army.
That rule changed earlier this year, meaning WIlliam is now free to flaunt one while he carries out royal duties in uniform.
