After spending some quality family time with his wife, Kate Middleton, and children, George, Charlotte and Louis, over the summer holidays, Prince William is back to work in an official capacity – and has debuted a new look. Yep, the future King has a beard... and royal fans are loving it! (Some possibly a bit too much tbh? Guys, a few of those comments are thirsty?).
A new post on the Prince and Princess of Wales' Instagram account shows William meeting some of the talented artists and young people behind an exhibition from Homewards, on now at the Saatchi gallery, highlighting the complexities of homelessness – complete with a beard.
While many praised the importance of this work and the exhibition, there were also a lot of comments about the Prince's facial hair (which he was actually first seen sporting during a video wishing Team GB well post-Olympics, but which fans weren't sure would survive beyond the summer holidays or make it to an official royal engagement).
One commenter remarked, "The beard somehow makes the Prince more 'human' 'relatable' very nice 🔥" while another added, "Prince William looking very handsome with the beard 😍".
A third wrote underneath the post, "Please William, keep this beard for our sake! 🤪🔥❤️" and fourth dove right in with: "His sex symbol era is coming strong 😍".
We think it's safe to say the new facial hair is a hit then?
However, some royal watchers may be disappointed to learn that in a post shared a few hours later, in which the Prince discusses a new Earthshot competition in conjunction with the children's TV show, Blue Peter, William is once again clean shaven.
So, could that have been filmed in advance and the facial hair is still reigning supreme IRL – or have we already seen the last of the Prince's beard?
Watch this space...
Learn about Homewards: Reframed and the Royal Foundation's involvement here
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
