King Charles is a big fan of the clean-shaven look, but he did once sport a very full beard.
In the mid-1970s, Charles grew out his facial hair. Photos of him during his Royal Navy career at that time showed him with a thick beard.
One picture of Charles during his Navy career has emerged on social media. Many fans have now made the same observation.
King Charles with a full beard
The king, now 77, served in the Royal Navy between 1971 and 1976.
An image from his time on board HMS Bronington has circulated on social media in recent days. It shows the then-Prince Charles wearing his uniform on board the minesweeper.
Wow, I thought it was Prince Harry.
But it’s his full beard that has caught the attention of fans, and many believe he looks just like his youngest son, Prince Harry.
The Duke of Sussex sports a full beard and has done for many years.
One fan wrote on X: “Wow, I thought it was Prince Harry.”
Another said: “Ok. I see how he’s Harry’s father.”
A third compared him to his grandfather, King George VI, commented: “With the beard, you really can see a resemblance to George VI and even George V!”
The king only had his beard for a short time, before returning to the clean-shaven look.
William and Harry’s beards
Charles’ sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, have also sported beards over the years.
Prince Harry, 41, has sported a full beard for many years.
Meanwhile, William, 43, has only sported the bearded look in recent years after opting for a clean-shaven look for some time. The Prince of Wales’ beard has garnered much attention from fans.
There’s no strict rule or protocol that royals can’t have facial hair. However, Prince Harry revealed that he and William once had a disagreement over their beards.
According to Harry, William wasn’t happy that his younger brother was allowed to keep his beard on his wedding day.
William and Harry’s ‘disagreement’ over their beards
Prince William didn’t have a beard for his wedding to his wife, Princess Catherine, in April 2011.
However, for his wedding to Meghan Markle in May 2018, Harry did sport a beard.
Writing in his memoir Spare, Harry said he asked his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II permission to keep his beard for his wedding day in 2018.
The duke wrote: “I explained it to my brother and he… bristled? ‘Not the done thing,’ he said. ‘Military, rules, so forth.’
Read more: King Charles admits ‘concern’ in speech shown in new documentary
“I gave him a quick history lesson. I mentioned the many royals who’d been bearded. King Edward VII. King George V. Prince Albert. More recently, Prince Michael of Kent. Helpfully I referred him to Google Images.”
Harry said he told William he had “gone to Granny and got the green light”. But Harry claimed his brother “became livid”.
Queen Elizabeth II allowed Harry to keep his beard for his wedding day.
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