Prince William follows in King Charles’ footsteps with a drastic change in his appearance.

When Prince William debuted a rugged new look in August that seems to be here to stay, it grabbed headlines. The future King has grown a beard, much to the delight of his supporters, and he is not the first heir apparent to the throne to do so.

In the 1970s, he looked a lot like his father, Charles. From 1971 to 1976, the then-Prince of Wales gave up his clean-shaven look while serving in the Royal Navy.

For almost a century, the Navy has permitted its service personnel to sport facial hair, in contrast to the Army. Charles made the decision to exploit this regulation.

Charles enrolled in a six-week course at the Royal Naval College Dartmouth in September 1971, marking the start of his naval career.

He served aboard the frigates HMS Minerva from 1972 to 1973, HMS Jupiter in 1974, and the guided-missile destroyer HMS Norfolk from 1971 to 1972.

He also learned how to fly a helicopter that same year. Beginning on February 9, 1976, the King commanded the coastal minehunter HMS Bronington for his last 10 months of active Navy service.

His grandfather, King George VI, two great-grandfathers, father, and Prince Philip all had prosperous navy careers. It’s easy to say that Princess Charlotte, William’s daughter, was not charmed by his beard when he recently shared her opinion.

On the last day of a four-day trip to Cape Town in November, the Prince talked about his facial hair and acknowledged that Charlotte didn’t enjoy it the first time. When I first started growing a beard, I had to chop it off because I was crying uncontrollably. I grew it back after that. I took a moment to reassure her that everything would be alright.

William was surprised when a reporter said that his stubble gave him a laid-back look. He said, “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,” as he reflected on a challenging year that included significant health issues for both his father, the King, and his wife, Princess Kate.

However, he says it’s more a matter of just keeping going and cracking on.

Prince William’s new grooming style aligns with the Army’s most recent policy adjustments. Starting in March 2024, officers and soldiers are permitted to have beards as long as they are kept clean and well-groomed.

Following a previous ban that allegedly caused issues between Prince William and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex said his brother was envious that Harry was permitted to grow a beard for his 2018 wedding. This change follows that ban.

When Harry married Meghan Markle, he wore military gear, which usually necessitated a clean-shaven appearance.

But Harry supposedly annoyed his brother when he sought the Queen for special permission to keep his beard for his wedding. “And yet I now dared to make another request, Granny, please, may I keep my beard for my wedding?” Harry writes in his enlightening memoir, Spare. Nor is it an insignificant request.

Since I was getting married while wearing my Army uniform, some people believed that having a beard was a clear transgression of customs and etiquette. The British Army did not accept beards.

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