What Does Prince Harry's Naked Face Look Like? An Investigation.

With just eight days until the royal wedding (opens in new tab), a.k.a. the day that I will finally have to accept that I most likely will not "marry Harry (opens in new tab)," an important question has been raised: Will Harry have to shave (opens in new tab) his ginger beard for the big day?

According to a royal expert, probably yes (opens in new tab). Also, in years past, it's been reported (opens in new tab) that the Queen isn't keen on Harry's beard and has previously "let her displeasure be known." Others hypothesize (opens in new tab) that harry will keep the beard. But either way this all leads to a bigger, more important question:

WHAT DOES HARRY'S FACE LOOK LIKE UNDER THAT GINGER BEARD?

It's hard to say, frankly. Harry—or as his cousin Zara once called him, Prince Hairy (opens in new tab)—hasn't been seen sans beard in years. YEARS!

Why?! How!?! What?! When!?

Exactly!

To answer all the questions, I contacted a ginger-bearded expert: my friend Brendan Jackson (opens in new tab), who has the gingeriest, beardiest ginger beard I've ever seen.

"Everyone’s different but my beard hides a weak chin," says Brendan, who's had a ginger face mane for 17 years. "Without the beard, my face is round and my jaw line blends in with my jowls. With a beard, I have a nice chiseled topiary. A lot of times my skin get irritated under the beard but it’s pretty well-camouflaged when my beard is full. Harry might be dealing with a similar issue. Or it’s because beards are still in. As a bearded person, it’s so much better when beards are socially expected let alone accepted."

Okay, but WHAT DOES THAT NAKED ROYAL FACE LOOK LIKE?

Well, it looks like this:

And this: 

Aaaaand this: 

Also this:

And this:

So the answer is: PRINCE HARRY'S FACE LOOKS REALLY NICE UNDER THAT BEARD, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

"I think he looks good either way but if I had to vote I’d say I like him better without a beard," MarieClaire.com's ginger-bearded expert says. "When you keep a ginger beard short, some sections look very light/patchy. I’d suggest he add some length or shave it completely." HMMM.

As for whether Harry should stay hairy for his wedding, "I think your wedding should be whatever your default is," Brendan concludes. "You don’t want to look back at pictures later and not recognize yourself. I had a beard at my wedding and have no regrets."