Harry's Explosive Book Sheds Light on a Royal Stubble Dispute with His Brother
Prince William recently surprised fans with a new look during the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games, where he appeared alongside his wife, Kate, to congratulate Team GB athletes. While his message was well-received, it was his unexpected facial hair that stole the spotlight, with one fan gushing on social media, "Wow! I'm loving the facial hair! Very handsome."
William’s new beard, however, brings to mind a past alleged feud with his estranged brother, Prince Harry, detailed in Harry's memoir Spare. In the book, Harry claimed that William instructed him to shave his beard for his 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle, suggesting that William was motivated by jealousy.
Dubbed #beardgate on social media, the disagreement stemmed from Harry’s request to the late Queen Elizabeth II to keep his beard for the wedding, despite wearing military uniform—a request that was granted. Harry highlighted that this was a privilege William did not receive when he married Kate in 2011.
In an interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby, Harry reflected on the situation, saying, "I think William found it hard that other people told him to shave it off, and yet here I was on my wedding day wearing military uniform, no longer in the military, but thinking as though I should shave it off before my wedding day."
In Spare, Harry recounted how William became "livid" upon learning that the Queen had allowed him to keep the beard. William reportedly said, "You put her in an uncomfortable position, Harold! She had no choice but to say yes." The argument, according to Harry, persisted for over a week, culminating in William ordering him to shave.
Harry claimed that when he questioned why it mattered so much, William’s response revealed the underlying issue: "Because I wasn’t allowed to keep my beard." William, who had previously been told to shave off his own beard after returning from an assignment with Special Forces, was reportedly frustrated that Harry was granted a privilege he had been denied.
