Splitting Heirs! Harry reveals he requested permission to keep facial fuzz for wedding to Meghan

One of the most salacious moments during Prince Harry’s interview with ITV over the weekend came with the admission that he had to ask permission to keep his beard at his wedding. The revelation came during discussions around the marriage and whether the pair could be wed at Westminster Abbey.

It prompted viewers to ask why a beard would be against royal protocol, however the answer lay within the rules and regulations of both the Royal Navy and the British Army. The British Army website details that “there has been no change in Army policy regarding beards, which can only be grown with the Commanding Officer's authority. Exceptions are usually only granted on medical or religious grounds, or where tradition permits."

It’s become common knowledge now that Harry had to ask for the Queen’s permission to keep his facial hair for the ceremony, despite serving as a member of the army rather than the Royal Navy, which do allow facial hair to be grown. Despite his request being granted, Harry admitted that “only beard people” would appreciate the argument he had with Prince William regarding his beard.

That argument, according to Harry’s autobiography Spare, stemmed around the fact that William wasn’t pleased with the fact that while Harry was allowed to keep his beard, Prince William had to shave his off for his wedding to Kate Middleton - “he hated the idea of me enjoying a perk he'd been denied” he wrote.

Men with beards will understand what Harry was trying to convey during his ITV interview on Sunday evening. The beard was a comfort and created a feeling of a ‘new’ Harry. Meghan would not have recognised him, he feared, on the wedding day with no beard. Is there an element of believing this attraction and bond with Meghan is somehow in the beard and gives confidence? That's maybe a reach. He's certainly feeling a sense of comfort from the facial hair, that much is true.