Lip reader decodes Kate Middleton's cheeky remarks on Prince William's beard during Remembrance Sunday
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: While the rest of the world is swooning over Prince William's relatively new facial hair, Kate Middleton apparently discovered humor in his new appearance.
Professional lip reader Nicola Hickling told The Sun that during Remembrance Sunday on the Foreign Office balcony, Kate made a cheeky comment about William's beard while speaking to Sophie Wessex, the Duchess of Edinburgh.
When the Duchess asked, "You like a beard?" the Princess of Wales responded, "I find it quite rousing," according to Hickling.
Then, referring to Kate's cancer diagnosis, Sophie teasingly implied that William's whiskers had healed her, saying, "You’re all better now," which cracked them up.
Another lip reader weighs in on Kate Middleton and Sophie Wessex's conversation about Prince William's beard
A second lip reader told the publication that the encounter was far more innocuous and Kate Middleton actually poked fun at Prince William's ability to grow a beard.
According to Kayleigh Harris, Kate said that William's facial hair is "never quite rounded" in response to Sophie's initial question. The Duchess then said it was "a nice beard" and that "it's a lot better now."
Princess Kate turned to the Duchess and remarked, "She will be supported in this," to which Sophie responded, "Yes, and especially...," as per Harris.
What the women were discussing is unknown. The apprehensive Princess of Wales apparently also said, "It's so special," before adding, "You're never quite ready for this."
Previously, royal biographer Claudia Joseph told The Sun that Sophie is a "true confidante and sounding board" for the Princess of Wales.
Prince William's beard reminds former royal butler of young Prince Philip and King Charles
Prince William's stubble reminded former royal butler Grant Harrold of the young King Charles and Prince Philip. "Traditionally royals had beards. If you go back in time to the Middle Ages, they always did," shared Harrold.
He added, "It has gone in and out of fashion over different royal eras. The late Prince Philip sometimes sported a beard. The King, King Charles has been seen with a beard, and both Prince William and Harry have too," as per OK! Magazine.
"It’s quite common for royals to go through phases of having a beard, like many men do during their lifetime. For the royals, it’s personal choice, yes it’s to do with fashion, but it’s also to do with what they feel like doing at the time," noted Harrold.
Prince Harry wrote about his brother William's facial hair in his 2023 memoir, 'Spare'.
The Duke of Sussex wrote, "Ah – there it was. After he’d come back from an assignment from 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."
When royal family members alter their appearance, it often turns into an explosive topic. "It’s been interesting to see quite a bit of debate about it because William has sported a beard in the past as well, and Harry has for years," said Harrold.
He added, "Because they’re such recognizable people, when they change their appearance in any way, there’s a lot of discussion about it because it’s a new look."
"The comments are overall very positive, people seem to like the look. It seems like it’s his inner royal from a bygone era, not just his father but his grandfather, and great, great grandfather," noted Harrol.
Prince William revealed daughter Princess Charlotte was shocked by his transformation
The Prince of Wales previously revealed that their daughter, Princess Charlotte, was not as enamored by his recent facial transformation as Kate Middleton appears to be.
"Well, Charlotte didn’t like it the first time. I got floods of tears, the first one I got tears, so I had to shave it off," said the father of three in an interview at the Earthshot Prize Awards in Cape Town on November 7, as per OK! Magazine.
"Then I grew it back. I thought, hang on a second, and I convinced her it was going to be OK," added William.
On William's transformation, a tipster recently revealed, "William really loves how he looks with a beard, he always has. He’d have been wearing one for years now if it weren’t for royal protocol."
They added, "It might sound silly, but [Prince] Harry wasn’t lying in his memoir when he wrote that he and William fought about his wedding day beard."
