Prince William’s Former Aide Reveals 1 Rule the Future King Must Follow While Growing His Beard
Prince William and the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) delivered a special message via social media to Team Great Britain following the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Fans were delighted to see the princess looking well amid her cancer battle and were a bit surprised by her husband‘s appearance as the prince was sporting a beard. This had some wondering about the rumored protocol around royals having beards and what rules they actually have to follow when sporting facial hair.
Now, someone who used to work for the family is revealing the one and only rule they must follow if they want to grow a beard.
Former royal assistant debunks the idea of silly protocol for royals’ beards
Seeing royals with beards isn’t a new thing as many family members have grown them over the years. Prince Harry may immediately come to mind, as he has had one for quite some time. However, he’s no longer a working royal, which begs the question about what rules working royals have to follow.
Grant Harrold was King Charles’ butler from 2004 to 2011. During his time working for the now-monarch his duties also included that of valet, house manager, and driver. He looked after Prince Harry and Prince William as well whenever they stayed at Highgrove House. He debunked the rumors about strict protocol and that only certain family members are allowed to grow a beard at certain times.
Speaking on behalf of Spin Genie, Harrold said: “Traditionally royals had beards. If you go back in time to the Middle Ages, they always did. It has gone in and out of fashion over different royal eras. The late Prince Philip sometimes sported a beard. King Charles has been seen with a beard, and both Prince William and Harry have too. It’s quite common for royals to go through phases of having a beard, like many men do during their lifetime. For the royals, it’s a personal choice. Yes it’s to do with fashion, but it’s also to do with what they feel like doing at the time.
“It’s been interesting to see quite a bit of debate about it because William has sported a beard in the past … The comments are overall very positive, people seem to like the look. It seems like it’s his inner royal from a bygone era, not just his father but his grandfather and great-great-grandfather.”
The only rule the ex-staffer says Prince William has to follow whenever he has a beard
So what’s the one rule royals have to follow when they have facial hair?
According to Harrold, it must be kept neat. That means always “trimmed and tidy.”
“It’s obviously important to maintain a beard, keep it trimmed and tidy, all those sorts of things, which he’ll have plenty of experience and advice on,” the former butler explained, before adding, “I think he’s probably just wanted to try something different. He might have found there were a couple of days he didn’t shave, you can quickly forget how you look with a beard. There will definitely be people around him saying he looks good with it, which will encourage it to stay.”
