Royals Who Looked Completely Different With Facial Hair

Historically, monarchs were expected to sport a hefty amount of facial hair. Henry VIII, for instance, was as notorious for his luxurious facial hair as he was for his commitment issues. There's even a longstanding urban legend that the Tudor king enforced a beard tax during his reign, though historians argue that there's no evidence of such legislation ever existing in Britain (Russia was a different matter however, with Peter the Great taxing the hirsute in pursuit of modernization).

But in recent years, European monarchs have eschewed the hairy look in favor of slicker, clean-shaven appearances. This was in part due to beards being associated with radicals, an image that evidently did not align with the principles of upholding hereditary privilege. Of course, the clean-shaven trend largely applies to European aristocracy. For example, within the Saudi royal family, it's almost unheard of for princes and kings to be clean-shaven, as beards are a symbol of both lofty social status and religious devotion.

Every so often, however, European royals have been known to defy convention and embrace their inner Henry David Thoreau, rocking some serious facial hair as well as the status quo. In turn, these rustic looks left the old-money aristocrats looking near unrecognizable. From majestic muttonchops to princely peach fuzz, these royals looked completely different with facial hair.

Ordinarily, Prince William is the epitome of old money prestige: expertly fitted designer suits, cashmere sweaters, and a golden wisp atop his receding hairline. But with facial hair, his look was more akin to a geography teacher than second in line to the throne. William debuted his facial hair in 2008 while in the Royal Navy. Again, this was likely a means of concealing his identity — and it almost certainly worked. In fact, he was so unrecognizable with the blond hipster beard that he could very well have blended into a crowd of sailors unnoticed.

After serving in Barbados, William retained his beard while on a pheasant shoot. Since Queen Elizabeth II never cared for facial hair, he was apparently told to shave it off — and was livid. Subsequently, he tried to sabotage his younger brother's beard, as Prince Harry recounted in his memoir, "Spare" (via The Telegraph). "For the love of God, Willy, why does this matter so much to you?" Harry recalled asking his brother, who replied, "'Because I wasn't allowed to keep my beard.' 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."

Of all the royals in this rundown, the late Prince Philip is the one we'd least expect to sport scruff. With his arguably colonial mindset, Philip was very much a remnant of a Britain that no longer exists. But back in 1957, the duke, then aged 36, showcased a full beard while wearing his naval uniform (the navy vet had been appointed Admiral of the Fleet and Captain-General Royal Marines four years earlier). With a beard, Philip looked eerily similar to Willem Dafoe's grizzled sailor in Robert Eggers' "The Lighthouse."

In 1965, he once again grew out his stubble during a five-month-long Commonwealth tour. Upon his return, Queen Elizabeth II, who was famed for her cheeky sense of humor, took the opportunity to troll her hirsute husband. "It was a comedy moment when the Queen and Duke were finally reunited," Robert Hardman revealed in his book "Queen of the World" (via Express). "Knowing that he had grown a beard on his travels, the Queen had arranged for everyone in the royal entourage — herself included — to put on fake whiskers just before the Duke walked in."

The Spanish royals lead enviably lavish lifestyles, but one item that's not on King Felipe VI's Whole Foods receipt is shaving cream. Unlike the majority of royals in this rundown, rocking a beard isn't mere experimentation for the Spanish king; it's a way of life. In fact, Felipe is one of the only monarchs in Europe to sport a permanent beard.

But there once was a time when the king didn't have a beard. When he was crowned in 2014 following the abdication of his scandal-prone father, Felipe looked completely different. An absence of facial hair made him appear rather ordinary, resembling a politician rather than a royal. 

The beard has given the king's face character, as well as a more debonair and sophisticated look. As The Telegraph pointed out, the king's fuzz is much more flattering for his face, with the hair concealing his weakening jawline. King Charles III and Prince William, the outlet argues, could learn a thing or two from the bearded monarch: "King Charles III might benefit from some of his own Spanish whiskers to lend his septuagenarian face a little extra scaffolding." Ouch! While Charles is unlikely to return to his stubbly jawline any time soon, we salute Felipe for being a renegade royal.

Though Greece abolished its monarchy in 1973, the Greek royals still hold onto their titles. Crown Prince Pavlos is the son of the late Constantine II, the last king of Greece. Without facial hair, the prince looks rather dashing. On his 1995 wedding day, for instance, he seemed every bit the prince charming as he waltzed out of the church with his bride, Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece. That fresh face and floppy hair was giving "Notting Hill" era Hugh Grant (it was the '90s, after all).

He continued with the clean-shaven countenance into middle age, until one day something rather peculiar happened. Toward the end of 2020, Pavlos emerged with a handlebar mustache and goatee. Though he had previously sported some facial hair, most notably a wispy beard in the 2010s, he was still unmistakably Pavlos. But this time he looked like a totally different person to the dashing Hugh Grant doppelganger.

It seemed the prince took a liking to the mustache, and it remained throughout the early 2020s. This change in his appearance was compounded by the addition of an eyepatch in December 2023, following retinal surgery. Sharing a snap of her husband's whiskers and eyepatch combo on Instagram, it seems that Marie-Chantal digs the look. "Hopefully a temporary new look ... but he's kind of cute," she wrote.

Frederik X was crowned King of Denmark following the abdication of his mom, Queen Margrethe, in January 2024. As a young man, Frederik had a boyish, smooth-skinned countenance. But as he got older, he began growing out his stubble and went from pretty boy to silver fox. The king now dons a salt-and-pepper beard, looking like a completely different person to that fresh-faced Danish youth. Nevertheless, he's handsome both beardless and with a set of whiskers.

In 2020, Frederik debuted his post-lockdown haircut after growing a wild mane during quarantine. However, his bristles were still in place, albeit tidied up. As some commentators have pointed out, the beard is central to the king's humble and laid-back persona. Unlike many royals across the globe, he doesn't take himself too seriously (and even has multiple tattoos). "He is already a star among many Danes," royal biographer Gitte Redder told The Telegraph. "By nature he is open-minded, curious and down to earth ... Even before becoming king, he has been nicknamed the Frogman King, the Rock 'n' Roll King, the Sportsman King and the Green King."

The son of the late Grace Kelly, Prince Albert of Monaco usually opts for a hairless face. With his large spectacles and receding hairline, he looks like he works for the civil service rather than the crown. But with a mustache, he appears far more like an old-school aristocrat.

In 2017, Albert debuted his chevron mustache, which suited his regal bearing. It was the first time he had played around with facial hair, following in the footsteps of his paternal ancestors. Chatting to People, he discussed the patriotic significance of his whiskers; along with his countrymen, he was paying tribute to 200 years of the carabinier, a branch of Monaco's defense reserves. Historically, it was a requirement for soldiers to have mustaches. "As their honorary colonel I said, 'If you're sure you're all going to it, I'll do the same!'" he joked. "We're almost at 95% mustaches now among the carabinier corps or will be by [Monaco's] National Day [on November 19]. So you'll see a lot of 'staches on parade in front of the palace."

Though he looked distinguished with the 'tache, Albert's wife and kids weren't so keen. Subsequently, he was looking forward to the day he could finally shave it off. These days, the prince is back to being bristle-free.