Prince William and his wife, the Princess of Wales, delighted royal fans yesterday with a surprise outing to the Balmoral estate. The pair, along with eldest son Prince George, were pictured arriving at Crathie Kirk to attend a Sunday service.
Marking Kate's first appearance at the Scottish church since announcing her cancer diagnosis in Mark, the family were joined by King Charles and Queen Camilla, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, James, Earl of Wessex, and Sir Tim Laurence.
Royal watchers were overjoyed to see the Princess of Wales, who looked her usual elegant self in a brown check coat and fedora hat, but it took them just moments to question Prince William's new look. Did you spot it?
The 42-year-old was back to business with a return to his usual clean shaven look and a goodbye to his facial hair of late. Recently, he's been sporting a fashionable beard, debuting the rugged look on social media. Prince William, alongside his wife Kate, took to Instagram earlier in the month to congratulate Team GB for their success in the Paris Olympics.
The normally clean shaven royal sported a smattering of facial hair in the Insta post, swapping his typically smart look for something more casual. It's no surprise, as the Wales' have been enjoying some well-earned time off from royal engagements and duties during the summer.
Before joining the King in Scotland on his annual summer break at Balmoral, the pair, along with their three children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, have been spending the summer holidays at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, spending days at the beach or at local events while the kids are off school for summer.
The move to grow out his facial hair shows a shift in the future monarch, who was clearly enjoying his time off with his kids and a change in pace to his usual hectic schedule.
Royal fans proved to be big fans of Prince William's beard, with them begging the Prince to "keep growing that beard" and another commenting, "loving the holiday beard." Some even said it made the Prince look "more handsome" and "it's amazing what a tan and beard can do for you."
"William beard era is back" added another.
Prince William's clean shaven look marks his return to royal duties, and the end of his summer break, with his first public engagement on September 5. Kensington Palace confirmed the 42-year-old will visit The Saatchi Gallery's new exhibition, Homelessness: Reframed, where he will meet with artists who contributed pieces of artwork to the project as well as hear the real-life stories of some of those who inspired the exhibition.
Royals sporting beards
Historically, royal men have leant towards a smooth, tidy look, particularly for royal events and duties, with a few exceptions. Prince William stepped out on Christmas Day 2008 sporting a thick, groomed beard as a young 26-year-old, cementing his "heartthrob" status.
Even the then Prince Charles went against the norm and rocked a smart 'naval beard' in 1976, while in the Royal Navy. The future monarch showed off his bushy beard at the Badminton Horse Trials, but has since kept his look more clean-shaven.
The exception to the rule is Prince Harry, who's facial hair sat in direct opposition to military protocol as the groom was set to wear the frock coat uniform of The Blues and Royals which had to accompany a bare face.
"I didn't want [Meghan Markle] coming down the aisle and seeing a total stranger," he penned in his memoir Spare, explaining the reason he asked his late grandmother, the Queen's, permission to keep his beard.