PRINCE William has joked he might ditch his beard for a moustache after being inspired by troops during an army camp visit.
Wills was given food for thought about his facial hair when he visited troops from the Mercian Regiment at their barracks in Wiltshire.
Wearing a camouflage uniform and regimental beret, the prince met soldiers from the 1st Battalion.
William took over the role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercians in 2023, previously held by his father.
The regiment had just returned from Estonia on a six-month deployment as part of the UK’s contribution to NATO forces – William had visited them in the country last March.
In the officer’s mess at Picton Barracks, the future king chatted to officers and their families, sharing a joke with many of them.
Lieutenant Jack Austin, 23, was sporting a moustache and said he mentioned the subject of his facial hair when chatting to the prince.
He said: “It started in Estonia, a few of us officers grew moustaches and it snowballed from there.”
Austin said he brought it up while chatting to William who responded: “Maybe I should get rid of the beard just have the moustache.”
In March 2024, the Army officially allowed soldiers and officers to grow full beards, overturning a long-standing rule.
One soldier’s mother, Maxine Debonnaire, 63, also shared a laugh with the future King.
She teased her son, Lieutenant Harris Debonnaire, 26, about how much time they had spent together since he returned from his deployment as he had been on so many dates, reports The Telegraph.
“He was out every night when he came back and sometimes during the day,” she joked.
William is said to have put an arm around Maxine and said: “I think we’ll get along very well”.
Lt Debonnaire was also sporting a bushy moustache and said he had been the first among the officers deployed to Estonia to grow one, originally for the Movember charity campaign and “it just grew on me”, he joked.
During his visit, William chatted to a group of soldiers who discussed issues they face in the armed forces and what needed to be done.
He was also snapped donning ear defenders as he observed a demonstration on the use of drones in urban combat.
The soldiers demonstrated to the prince a simulation of clearing a building using the drones to provide better visibility.
He reportedly asked: “How long did it take you to become a master of this?”
A drone operative responded that “if you’re good at video games, you’re alright, Sir.”
William was also spotted posing for a group photo with the regiment and presented three Long Service and Good Conduct medals to soldiers.
Wills is in line to become the future Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, which is currently held by King Charles, who served in the Royal Navy.
The royal is also a graduate of Sandhurst and was a Platoon Commander in the Household Cavalry, The Blues and Royals.
He served over seven years in the British Armed Forces from 2006 to 2013, ending his military career as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot.
