Princess Kate has revealed her true feelings about Prince William’s beard during a candid moment at St Patrick’s Day celebrations with the Irish Guards.
The Princess of Wales, 43, made the comments yesterday during her solo engagement at Wellington Barracks in London.
After enjoying a pint of Guinness in the sergeants’ mess, Kate was overheard chatting with servicemen about her husband’s headline-making facial hair.
The Prince of Wales, 42, has been sporting the new look since last summer, when it noticeably featured in a social media video message in August, congratulating Team GB on their Paris Olympics success.
Princess Kate has revealed her true feelings about Prince William’s beard during a candid moment at St Patrick’s Day celebrations with the Irish Guards
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Kate told the soldiers: “These trends come and go.”
“I’m not sure how long he’s going to keep his for.”
She also revealed there are certain occasions when the beard is definitely off-limits.
The princess explained: “Every time he has his uniform on it’s like ‘definitely no beard’.”
Princess Kate made the comments yesterday during her solo engagement at Wellington Barracks in London
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A soldier responded that he personally spent more time looking after his beard than he would do shaving it.
The conversation then shifted to more serious matters as Kate asked if any of the servicemen had been away recently.
William previously revealed that his daughter Princess Charlotte had a strong initial reaction to his facial hair during a November 2024 interview in South Africa.
He said: “Well Charlotte didn’t like it the first time. I got floods of tears, the first one I got tears, so I have 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”.
Prince William first showed off his beard in a video during summer last year
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Former royal aide Jason Knauf offered a more definitive take on Kate’s opinion in February during an interview with 60 Minutes Australia.
He said: “If she didn’t like it, it wouldn’t be there. I can tell you that.”
The look marks a departure from typical royal protocol, which usually sees members of the family clean-shaven.
Prince Harry has regularly worn a beard since 2015, even seeking special permission from Queen Elizabeth to keep it for his wedding.
