When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle walk down the aisle on May 19, most eyes will be on the bride and the long-awaited reveal of her wedding gown. But those of us who have adored Harry since his youth are also dying to see what the groom wears for his big day. Since the prince spent 10 years serving in the military, it's likely he'll wear one of his dress uniforms, like his Household Cavalry garb.
Simple enough, right? Wrong. According to Royal historian Hugo Vickers, the army doesn't approve of facial hair and Harry would be required to shave his now-signature scruff if he wants to wear the uniform on his wedding day.
"He's not able to wear his Royal Horse Guards uniform with a beard," Vickers told Press Association.
Prince Harry has rarely been seen without a beard since he left the military in 2015, and dare we say it's part of his sex appeal? How could he not wear that ruddy scruff on the most important day of his life?!
Thankfully, being royal (and no longer on active duty) means you get a little flexibility with the rules—Harry has worn a military dress coat in public with a beard before. Here he is at the Armistice Day Service in 2016, wearing both beard and uniform, for example:
"He does it sometimes but they don't like it," Vickers said, acknowledging that Harry has broken this rule in the past. "That's why when he took the parade at Sandhurst, he wore a suit."
Not all royal experts agree that Harry will even want to wear his military uniform, however. Some think he'll forgo the uniform all together to keep the occasion more low-key.
"My hunch is Harry will wear morning dress because it is going to be relatively low-key, compared with his brother's wedding, and he is no longer a serving officer," Royal correspondent Penny Junor told Elle UK. "If he wore uniform it would make the whole thing much more formal and he is essentially a very informal sort of guy."
Whatever he wears, Harry is sure to look dapper.
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