Boost for Prince William on Issue Behind Prince Harry Argument

A British Army rule change puts an end to an issue that Prince Harry said was the root of an argument between him and brother Prince William at the time of the former's 2018 royal wedding.

As of March 29, serving members of the British Army are now permitted to wear beards while in uniform, a change to the strict dress and personal appearance rules that have been in place for centuries.

In his Spare memoir, Harry said that William was unhappy that he had been given special permission to wear his beard while in uniform for his wedding to Meghan Markle. The prince wrote that his brother was jealous because he had been required to shave his own beard back in 2008 before undertaking military training.

When approached by Newsweek, Kensington Palace in London declined to comment.

Beard Ban

Prior to the new rule change, soldiers were allowed to wear beards in uniform for religious and medical reasons or in extreme individual circumstances. Even then, permission had to be granted by the commanding officer.

This ban on beards was in place even for members of the royal family, with both William and Harry going clean-shaven during their time in the British Army's Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry.

William had grown a beard in 2008 when he undertook a service training operation with the British Royal Navy in Barbados (the navy allowing serving members to sport facial hair). However, he had to shave it off before beginning his training with the Royal Air Force as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot in 2009. The RAF's policy banning beards was changed in 2019.

Harry grew his now-famous beard after leaving the British Army in 2015. When he appeared in uniform at subsequent events, he did so sporting his facial hair with special permission.

Battling Brothers

In Spare, Harry told readers he had asked Queen Elizabeth II's permission (as head of the British Armed Forces) to keep his beard for his wedding to Meghan in May 2018. He said that this had angered William.

After gaining permission from the queen, Harry wrote told readers that William "bristled."

"When I informed him that his opinion didn't really matter, since I'd already gone to Granny and got the green light, he became livid," Harry wrote. "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.'" William said, according to the memoir.

"No choice? She's the Queen!," Harry wrote. "If she didn't want me to have a beard I think she can speak for herself. But Willy always thought Granny had a soft spot for me, that she indulged me while holding him to an impossibly high standard. Because...Heir, Spare, etc. It irked him. The argument went on, in person, on the phone, for more than a week. He wouldn't let it go."

In the end, Harry said that William "ordered" him to shave, something he flatly refused to obey.

"'I'm telling you, shave it off,'" Harry said William told him.

"'For the love of God, Willy, why does this matter so much to you?'

"'Because I wasn't allowed to keep my beard.'"

Jealousy was at the issue's root, Harry said to his readers. "After he'd come back from an assignment with Special Forces, Willy was sporting a full beard, and someone told him to be a good boy, run along and shave it. He hated the idea of me enjoying a perk he'd been denied."

At the time of Spare's release in January 2023, William did not respond to the book or Harry's claims within it.

New Direction

The new army rules relating to beards (which were approved by King Charles III) came into effect before the Easter break to allow serving members who wanted to the opportunity to grow out their facial hair time to do so before returning to parade.

Though sporting a beard is no longer restricted to those soldiers with religious or medical reasons, the ones who wish to do so still have to inform their chain of command and must conform to style regulations.

On April 15, the Welsh Guards marked the newfound facial hair-freedom with a post to social media. "The Beards Have Arrived!" the guards wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"Like it or lump it, the beards are here! Members of Number 2 Company proudly took up their posts on Kings Guard this morning, marching from Wellington Barracks to Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace [in London]."

Prince William is colonel of the Welsh Guards and should he wish to join in the bearded fun, he is now at greater liberty to do so.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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