The Princess of Wales has let slip what she really thinks about her husband’s beard saying ‘these things come and go’ and it depends on if he’s is wearing uniform.
Kate Middleton made the comments on Prince William yesterday as she attended the Irish Guards’ annual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Speaking to a group of servicemen, the future Queen said: ‘Every time he has his uniform on it’s like “definitely no beard”.’
She also admitted to being unsure how long her husband would keep his facial hair as ‘these trends come and go’.
A soldier interjected and said he thought he personally spent more time looking after his beard than he would do shaving it.
The lighthearted conversation then turned to more serious matters as the Princess asked if any of the servicemen had been away recently.
It comes as she enjoyed a glass of Guinness as part of the day’s festivities, making an emotional return to her own regiment on St Patrick’s Day during a solo engagement.
Someone joked on X – formerly Twitter – that Kate felt Prince William’s beard had ‘a countdown’.
Speaking to a group of servicemen, the future Queen said: ‘Every time he has his uniform on it’s like “definitely no beard”‘
William and Kate pictured as they attended the Ceremonial Welcome at Horse Guards Parade during day one of The Amir of the State of Qatar’s visit to the United Kingdom in December
The Princess of Wales smiles as she joins the Irish Guards, their families and young cadets from Northern Ireland at a special St Patrick’s Day parade
Another person said: ‘Something says the presence or absence of it depends only on her mood.’
Someone else went further, claiming they could tell Princess Kate wasn’t a fan.
They said: ‘I love William with a beard. I don’t think Catherine likes it, but she needs to get over it. Clearly William enjoys having a beard and she should support his choice.’
But another person concluded: ‘I simply love how she listens and doesn’t try to interject. The Princess of Wales is a breath of fresh air.’
Prince William, 42, first debuted his rugged stubble in August last year when he appeared in a clip alongside Kate congratulating Team GB on their successes in the Paris Olympics.
Although it was met with a mainly positive reaction, many wondered what Kate thought of his unshaven appearance.
One of William’s closest confidants, Jason Knauf, who used to work as an advisor for the Waleses, took royal fans one step closer to the answer in February, during an interview with Australian TV programme, 60 Minutes.
‘If she didn’t like it, it wouldn’t be there. I can tell you that,’ he said when asked by a journalist whether she was a fan of his beard.
A formerly clean shaven Prince is pictured in 2023 attending a pre-campaign launch event, hosted by The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood alongside the Princess of Wales
The Princess of Wales has let slip what she really thinks about her husband’s beard saying ‘these things come and go’
The Princess of Wales dressed in festive green today as she was saluted by Irish Guards’ at the St Patrick’s Day parade before sipping on a pint of Guinness
Probed on whether he personally liked William’s beard, he said: ‘I love it, I think it’s great, but I’ve talked to him about it or tried to talk to him about and he’s like “It’s here, I have a beard, no further conversation”.’
However, it didn’t go down so well with other members of the royal family.
The father-of-three previously said that his daughter Princess Charlotte, nine, ‘burst into tears’ when she saw him with facial hair for the first time in the summer of 2024.
The young royal was so upset that William decided to shave it off, however he then decided to try and win her round.
The Prince of Wales said at the time: ‘The beard! Well Charlotte didn’t like it the first time.
‘I got floods of tears the first time I grew a beard, so I had 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.’
The beard marked a departure from typical royal protocol, which usually sees members of the family clean shaven.
Kate handed out sprigs of shamrocks to soldiers from the Irish Guards at Wellington Barracks yesterday morning before attending a parade to celebrate Ireland’s patron saint.
Princess of Wales presents traditional sprigs of shamrock to Officers and Guardsmen of the Irish Guard
The Princess of Wales joins Guardsmen and families in the Junior Ranks dining Hall, during a visit to the Irish Guards for their St Patrick’s Day Parade at Wellington Barracks in London
She missed the Guards’ celebrations last year after being diagnosed with cancer and apologised last summer for missing a key rehearsal for the annual Trooping the Colour.
In light of her recovery progressing, Kate Middleton, 43, has gradually returned to her public royal duties over the past several months, including attending Monday’s parade.
While chatting to Irish Guardsmen and their families in the Sergeants’ Mess at Wellington Barracks, the Princess told Corporal Adam Hamilton, an Australian reservist: ‘George finds it fascinating that he has been to Australia and New Zealand.
‘I would like to go back there with them now. It’s finding time to do that. But I love to travel – yes, it’s a long flight. But I love the Middle East because that’s familiar to me (from) growing up. There are so many opportunities now to travel, I think it’s brilliant to experience it.
‘We tend to go further afield when it’s official visits, it’s being able to carve out time to experience these countries in a more private capacity. Because otherwise you end up seeing lots of insides of amazing buildings but you don’t get to meet that many.. people
‘It’s making sure that you can combine a bit of work with the children. I might see you down there!’
