Prince Harry reveals brother William was 'jealous' of him before royal wedding for very surprising reason
LONDON, ENGLAND: Prince Harry has shockingly claimed that his older brother, Prince William, was "jealous" of him before his 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle and that too for a rather surprising reason.
Harry and Meghan exchanged vows at Windsor Castle's St George's Chapel on May 19, 2018. William supported his brother on his special day but Harry claimed that they had a serious argument over his beard before the wedding, according to The Mirror UK.
Prince William 'became livid' at his brother Harry's request for his big day
According to the Duke of Sussex, a major argument between the two brothers took place before his big day. Harry wore his military uniform, just like William did when he married Kate Middleton in 2011.
However, unlike his brother, Harry was allowed to maintain his beard, something the future King was not granted. Harry was supposed to have been clean-shaven and wearing the Blues and Royals' frock coat uniform to comply with military dress codes.
However, Harry reportedly enraged William by asking the Queen for special permission to keep his facial hair.
Harry addressed this 'beard-gate' in his candid memoir, 'Spare.' He wrote, "And yet I now dared to make another ask – Granny, please, may I, for my wedding, keep my beard? Not a small ask either."
"A beard was thought by some to be a clear violation of protocol and long-standing norms, especially since I was getting married in my Army uniform. Beards were forbidden in the British Army," he added.
William apparently "became livid" to learn that Harry had been given permission. According to Harry, his older brother said, "You put her in an uncomfortable position, Harold! She had no choice but to say yes."
Harry further claimed that William would not let the matter rest and that the argument lasted for over a week. William allegedly gave Harry the order to eventually shave it off.
In response, the Duke said, "For the love of God, Willy, why does this matter so much to you? 'Because I wasn't allowed to keep my beard.' Ah, there it was."
"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," he said.
Real reason why Prince William had to shave off his beard before it suddenly grew
The British Army has decided to allow soldiers to wear well-groomed facial hair after lifting its ban on beards in March 2024, which is a welcome development for beard lovers.
Prince William himself followed the fad with his coarse facial hair and, to the delight of his fans who loved his new appearance, grew a beard in August. However, his daughter Princess Charlotte was initially not a fan.
After a four-day trip to Cape Town in November, William was asked about his stubble and he said, "Charlotte didn't like it the first time."
"I got floods of tears the first time I grew a beard, so I had to shave it off. And then I grew it back. I thought, hang on a second and I convinced her it was going to be okay," he added.
Body language expert Judi James previously told The Sun that William's beard indicates that he is prioritizing his role as a family man over maintaining his clean-shaven appearance while performing royal duties.
According to James, the future king is "dedicating himself totally to time off," when he was on holiday with Kate and their three children in Balmoral, the Scottish home of the Royal Family.
"He seems to have shaved his head hair shorter but more than compensated with his beard, which also signals the fact that he has been taking his family time really seriously and dedicating himself totally to time off with his wife and children," James said.
James revealed that the last time William had a beard was in 2008, following a brief breakup with Kate.
