There was a lot to take in while reading the pages of Prince Harry‘s historical and best-selling memoir, Spare.
Royal experts and commentators have been revisiting the book that was published in January to pull out some succulent paragraphs that they might have missed.
This week, the Daily Mail unearthed a pearl: Prince Harry explaining why Prince William is furiously jealous of his luscious beard.
According to Meghan Markle‘s husband, it is not that Prince William cannot grow a bear of his own, the problem is that he is not allowed to keep it.
Queen Elizabeth II had many rules in place when it came to the appearance of members of the Royal Family. For example, Kate Middleton was not permitted to wear trousers or bright nail polish during royal engagements.
And Prince William had to sport a freshly shaved face. According to Prince Harry’s book, the heir to the throne became incandescent with rage once he discovered that his brother was permitted to keep his facial hair for his wedding in 2019, while he was told to shave his own hair off the day he married Kate Middleton.
He wrote: “A beard was thought by some to be a clear violation of protocol and long-standing norms, especially since I was getting married in my Army uniform. Beards were forbidden in the British Army.”
Prince Harry said he attempted to explain to Prince William that Queen Elizabeth allowed him to have the bear because it made him feel calmer.
He added: “Yes, she said, you may keep your beard. But then I explained it to my brother, and he… bristled? Not the done thing, he said. Military rules, and so forth.”
Prince Harry decided to give Prince William “a quick history lesson with the help of Google, showing William images of Royal ancestors who were bearded and uniformed, such as Edward VII and George V.”
However, Prince William “became livid.” According to Prince Harry, his brother grew angry and told him: “You put her in an uncomfortable position, Harold! She had no choice but to say yes.”
The Daily Mail shared the end of the passage: “Harry adds that William “wouldn’t let it go” and that the argument continued “in person, on the phone, for more than a week. It culminated with William ordering me to shave his beard off. I asked why on earth it mattered, only to get this answer: “Because I wasn’t allowed to keep my beard.”
Prince Harry concluded: “Ah, there it was. After he’d come back from an assignment with Special Forces, Willy was sporting a full beard, and someone told him to be a good boy, run along and shave it. He hated the idea of me enjoying a perk he’d been denied.”
Royal experts have been having a field day with this story. Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield has slammed Prince Harry for the revelation.
Appearing on Sky News, she said: “It is interesting when he picks and chooses when that memory kicks in. But this is just another example of how immature and entitled this young man is. He wants us to believe that Prince William is sitting around devastatingly jealous of him when, in reality, William’s a rock star, well he’s going to be the king.”
The Duke of Sussex has put most of his cards on the table.
