Prince William Hints He Might Try This Trend That's "Creeping In Now"

Prince William is not exactly known as a men’s style influencer, but it seems he’s keeping up on the latest trends. During a royal engagement at a military base in Wiltshire, Prince William spoke to members of the 1st Battalion of the Mercian Regiment about changing up his appearance. Joking about his beard, the Prince of Wales said, “I might end up taking mine off and leaving a 'tache."

Prince William has had his sexy salt-and-pepper beard since 2024, when he first appeared with facial hair in a video wishing Team GB good luck at the Paris Olympics. Since then, he has kept a long-term, well-groomed but substantial beard for the first time. Although he had a brief stint with a beard during his military service in the early 2000s, British Army guidelines required he shaved it off when returning to his normal duties. In 2024, right around the time Prince William ditched the daily shave, the British Army relaxed those guidelines and allowed facial hair on servicemembers—an interesting coincidence.

While speaking with servicemen in Wiltshire, Prince William joked that the moustache trend “is creeping in now.” The moustache is the biggest trend in men’s beauty, with everyone from Leonardo diCaprio to Jacob Elordi—and now, possibly Prince William—sporting the upper lip facial hair. Lydia Spencer-Elliott wrote for The Independent that “moustaches have been on the up for a while.” She explained that the moustache is “long a symbol of masculinity, strength and maturity,” and post-pandemic “we’re seeing the resurgence—and celebration—of the full-throttle, unapologetically present, mouth-framer of a bygone era.”

Princess Charlotte might have mixed feelings about her dad dipping into this trend. Last November, Prince William revealed his daughter was not impressed with his new facial hair when he first grew a beard in 2024. "Well Charlotte didn't like it the first time," he explained. "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."