King Charles Once Teased the Press by Wearing a Hilarious Disguise That Tricked Pretty Much No One

King Charles wearing a fake mustache and goggles disguise in the snow in 1980 next to a photo of him in a blue suit and tie laughing in 2024 — (Image credit: Getty Images)

While King Charles is often seen as the picture of royal propriety, there was a time when he showed off his playful side in spectacular fashion. It was 45 years ago this past week when The King—then known as the Prince of Wales—pulled off one of the most memorable royal pranks to date.

The setting? The prestigious Swiss ski resort of Klosters, where the Royal Family has long enjoyed their winter getaways. They've maintained a gentleman's agreement with the press for years—one official photo call in exchange for privacy during their getaway. But in January 1980, Charles decided to turn this routine photo opp into an unforgettably hilarious moment.

While the photographers were set up and ready for their standard shots of the prince, they were greeted by Charles sporting what can only be described as a comedy shop's greatest hits collection, including a huge prosthetic nose, joke glasses and a fluffy fake mustache.

Although they didn't don comedy mustaches, Princess Kate and Prince William got into a snowball fight during their own French Alps skiing photo shoot years later.

King Charles wearing a black ski suit walking through the snow with fake glasses, a fake mustache and comedy nose — Prince Charles played a joke on the press with his disguise.

King Charles isn't the only Windsor with a flair for disguise. Years later, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would take a page from his playbook, donning Mad Max-inspired Halloween costumes that disguised their faces for a night out before their relationship became public knowledge.

Even the traditionally straight-laced Prince William got in on the act during his university years, though his approach was more subtle—he simply went by the fake name of "Steve" to fly under the radar at the University of St. Andrews.

These days, The King is more likely to hit the dance floor or share a laugh with the public than to wear a fake nose, but he's definitely still got that fun streak inside.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.