On September 10, The Prince of Wales visited South Wales, where he was seen sporting rugged facial hair. His appearance struck a chord with social media users. One netizen referenced the fact that Prince William’s stubble is reminiscent of his younger brother’s signature look.

In addition to paying Swiss Valley Community Primary School a visit, Prince William also met with former and current members of the Wales female international rugby team who have qualified for the 2025 World Cup.

After seeing the pictures of Prince William rocking his stubble, netizens took to online comment sections to assert their judgments on his appearance. “Not a good look on him,” remarked an Instagrammer.

Echoing a similar sentiment while praising his character, another shared, “Sorry William I don’t like the stubble ?But ur kind / thoughtful / caring / and a lovely family man so who cares what I think ❤️???.”

Expressing concern for the prince, someone else penned, “William lost weight and aged. He needs to rest and be there for himself. With [Harry], his father and wife all too much pressure on his shoulders!!”

Juxtaposing the criticism Prince William received concerning his stubble, a fan swooned, “Looks good on him,” while another admirer exclaimed, “Love the beard!!!!” “Even more handsome with his beard??,” gushed a fan.

Referencing Prince Harry, a social media user expressed, “[They] told William not [to] grow his beard, so he is copying Harry when [he] had a [fight] with [him] to [shave] it. William is always copying Harry.”

Past reflections shared by Prince Harry in his tell-all memoir “Spare” corroborate the aforementioned comment as far as the part that mentions the two princes fighting over the Duke of Sussex’s beard.

In the book, Prince Harry detailed how he had grown out his beard during a previous voyage to the South Pole and had decided to keep it upon returning to the U.K.

More than just being a feature of his physical appearance, Prince Harry revealed how his beard helped calm his nerves and acted as a “security blanket.”

“[It] made me feel calmer, and I wanted to feel as calm as possible on the day of my wedding. Also, my wife-to-be had never seen me without it. She loved my beard […] I didn’t want her coming down the aisle and seeing a total stranger,” divulged Prince Harry.

Explaining his reasons for wanting to keep his beard to his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry mentioned how the late queen was okay with his decision. “But then I explained it to my brother and he…bristled?” wrote the prince.

According to Prince Harry, Prince William had a problem with his beard because of military rules. Countering his older brother’s arguments, Prince Harry explained how many royals before him, like King Edward VII, King George V, and Prince Albert, rocked beards even in uniform.

Prince Harry also gave a more recent reference by mentioning Prince Michael of Kent and showed his brother pictures of such instances.

Continuing, he recalled, “He raised his voice. ‘You went to ask her! Yes. And what did Granny say? She said keep the beard. You put her in an uncomfortable position, Harold! She had no choice but to say yes.'”

Despite chastising his brother for rocking one, Prince William went ahead and let his stubble grow out years after fighting with Prince Harry to shave his.