While royal fans were delighted by Prince William‘s rugged new beard, Princess Charlotte was far less impressed.

The Prince of Wales revealed this week that his recent change-up with his facial hair reduced his nine-year-old daughter to “floods of tears”. During a four-day visit to South Africa, William lightheartedly shared he had upset Charlotte so much with his beard that he was forced to take drastic action and shave it off.

He said: “Well, Charlotte didn’t like it the first time. I got floods of tears, so I had to shave it off. And then it grew back. I convinced her it was going to be OK!” Back in August, William debuted his new beard for the first time on a video with his wife, Princess Kate, wishing Team GB luck in the 2024 Olympics.

The clip was soon flooded with messages from viewers complimenting his stubble. Fans praised his fresh appearance and encouraged him to keep the beard. One person wrote: “I had to watch that again, just to see William’s stubble – wowza!” while another said: “William please keep growing that beard!” and a third penned: “Love the scruff W!”

But it didn’t last long, with William shaving off the stubble days later. One royal fan joked on X: “I’m officially entering a period of mourning for William’s beard. I only saw it once, but I’ll always remember it.” And the positive public response was exactly what encouraged the prince to keep the rugged look, according to a celebrity stylist.

In September, fans were quick to notice William had grown back his beard that had previously sparked attention – but why did he do it? Stylist Martine Alexander told Mail Online: “This positive response has given William the confidence to be more contemporary with his style. It seems that he’s adopting an age-appropriate look and it’s great to see.”

This outpouring of support also appears to have influenced William’s style choice. In recent months, he has been seen wearing more laid-back outfits, like white trainers, chinos and a bow tie, mirroring Kate’s modern style when she is out on more relaxed royal jobs. It’s believed stylist Natasha Archer, who is responsbile for some of Kate’s looks, has been working with him.

Body language expert Judi James suggested his kids might have played a role in his dress sense too. She said: “William has three children that are getting to the age where they will often make comments or jokes about any out-of-date dad clothing and start to quietly revolutionise his look, especially as he seems to have been spending more time with them recently.”

While in Cape Town, William also revealed how 2024 has been ‘brutal’ and “probably been the hardest year” of his life, with both his wife and his father, the King, diagnosed with cancer. Speaking of his struggles during an incredibly open and honest interview on a solo visit to South Africa, the future monarch said: “Honestly? It’s been dreadful.

“It’s probably been the hardest year in my life. So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult. But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been brutal.”

In a video Kate released in September, the princess revealed she had finished her chemotherapy treatment and spoke of how she was “looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months”. But she added that her focus was “doing what I can to stay cancer-free”.