Royal fans gushed over Prince William’s beard during his visit to the port of Kalk Bay in South Africa today.
The Prince of Wales, 42, enjoyed a braai lunch as he spoke of his love for Cape Town and greeted crowds of well-wishers who had flocked to the Bay to see the future King.
While chatting, a fan chimed in and shouted, “I like the beard,” to which William replied, “Oh, thank you,” while stroking his facial hair.
The father of three has received a lot of support from fans of the brand for his beard, with some calling him “attractive” and “handsome” for letting it grow.
It is not the first time that the Prince has dabbled in facial hair: in 2008 he made hearts tremble by growing a beard for the Christmas holidays, claiming that strangers did not recognize him.
Prince William greeted a crowd of well-wishers who had come to the Bay to see the future King.
And despite claiming on Christmas Day that he would shave it, he kept it up for several weeks.
William and his beard made headlines last year after his brother Prince Harry, 39, claimed in his explosive memoir Spare that the brothers had argued over facial hair.
Harry said the Prince of Wales told him to shave his beard before his wedding to Meghan Markle in May 2018.
As it is customary to be clean shaven when dressed in military uniform, it was expected that the groom would have shaved before the wedding ceremony.
British Army soldiers and officers were only allowed to grow beards after King Charles gave his approval in March 2024, allowing military chiefs to end the more than 100-year ban.
However, when his grandmother granted Harry permission to keep his facial hair, she said William “went furious.”
During his visit today, William rubbed shoulders with Heidi Klum, Winnie Harlow and Billie Porter as he told the crowd: “I love Cape Town, I’ve had an amazing week here, I’ve really enjoyed it.” I don’t want to go!’
While chatting, a fan chimed in and shouted, “I like the beard,” to which William replied, “Oh, thank you,” while stroking his facial hair.
The Prince of Wales beamed as he accepted a jar of sour fig jam from fishermen and women at Kalk Bay Harbor in Cape Town this morning.
He added: “My children would love to be here, and Catherine too.”
Previously, she received a jar of jam months after her sister-in-law Meghan started giving her friends the exact same item.
William said he woke up feeling “emotional” the day after the Earthshot awards ceremony and “thrilled” by how well it had gone.
Joining presenters Heidi Klum, Winnie Harlow, Billy Porter and Tobe Nwigwe for a traditional South African braai or barbecue at Kalk Bay in Cape Town, William told them: “I really appreciate all your support,” to which Winnie replied: “It’s It was an honour.’
William said: “I woke up this morning feeling very excited and excited.”
Heidi Klum, who presented one of the Earthshot awards the night before, said: “I was emotional on stage.”
William had traveled by boat to the picturesque fishing village of Kalk Bay on the last day of his four-day visit to Cape Town to see the work of Abalobi, a 2023 Earthshot award finalist who works with local fishermen to classify and track their hauls.
Later that day, he joined his Earthshot ally, German model Heidi Klum, for lunch at the port.
He was greeted by cries of “We love you, William” and met Abalobi co-founder Serge Raemaekers, who introduced the Prince to local fishermen and a team of fisherwomen involved in the Abalobi monitoring programme.
Fisherwoman and Abalobi monitoring program leader Casha de Vos told the Prince that they measure and weigh the fish before cataloging the details in the Abalobi database.
William held a yellowtail fish and told the fishermen: ‘You are the pioneers. You are the leaders.’
He then walked back along the harbor wall to where several of Abalobi’s staff were grilling fish for William to try while a guitarist played for him.
At one point, locals swimming in the bay shouted “hello Prince William” and he waved back.
The Prince of Wales took part in a traditional fish brai lunch with Heidi Klum, Winnie Harlow, Billy Porter and Tobe Nwigwe.
However, a small group of protesters shouted “Our people, our bones” and one held a banner that read: “William, you have no sovereignty here.”
Others shouted out loud: ‘You’re welcome, we love you.’
She also seemed to have experimented with her fashion sense for this year’s Earthshot Awards, opting for a more “hipster” look.
Gone was the velvet suit and bow the Prince of Wales wore to last year’s ceremony, and in its place was an outfit reminiscent of what royal fans would expect to see on his wife, Kate Middleton.
He appeared on the green carpet last night alongside models including Winnie Harlow and Heidi Klum, sporting a vintage gray plaid blazer, a light blue shirt and a pair of £130 white biodegradable trainers from sustainable brand Purified Shoes.
