Rugged Prince of Wales rocks a beard on his first post-summer engagement after fans lusted over his facial hair in THAT Team GB video

Prince William rocked a beard today as he returned to royal duties after his summer break. 

The Prince of Wales, 42, dedicated his first post-summer engagement to one of his most cherished causes as he visited the Homelessness: Reframed exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, London. 

The exhibition aims to bring to life the breadth and complexities of homelessness and aims to help the public to engage with, and better understand, the stories of those who have experienced the issue.

While there, the heir to the throne met with artists who have contributed newly commissioned pieces for the exhibition, alongside those with lived experience who have inspired some of the artwork.

And many royal fans will be delighted to see the return of his famous stubble after lusting for his facial hair in a good luck video for Team GB last month.  

Fans had been alarmed when it appeared William had shaved his stubble to go back to work, after the clean-shaven Prince was spotted attending a service at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral. 

But William is clearly a fan of the new look, and had grown it out once more for his return to engagements on Thursday.  

Despite his rugged appearance, William was still smartly turned out in a formal suit and light blue shirt. 

He was pictured in deep thought as he observed the exhibition, having been welcomed by Saatchi Gallery director Paul Foster.  

Last month, royal fans were left delighted after Prince William appeared with the Princess of Wales to send a message to Team GB’s athletes. 

Social media was quickly flooded with excited messages praising the couple – with many quite taken by William’s ‘rugged’ appearance. 

Another added: ‘You (Kate and Will) both look amazing!!! Love the scruff Will and Catherine you look stunning!’ 

One user simply said it was ‘great to see Catherine and William again.’   

In the short clip, Prince William stood by her side in the Instagram video and sported an unusually rugged look, with an unshaven appearance. 

Kate said: ‘From all of us watching at home congratulations to Team GB.’

The Prince of Wales, wearing an official blue Team GB top, then briefly added: ‘Well done to Team GB you’ve been an inspiration to us all.’

Created in collaboration between Homewards, Saatchi Gallery and Eleven Eleven Foundation, the exhibition displays works from artists in the UK and beyond, providing a powerful platform for those directly affected by homelessness to share their stories through art. 

A central objective of the Homewards programme, which was launched by The Prince and The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales in June 2023, is to change the narrative and challenge negative perceptions and stereotypes around homelessness. 

The Team GB video was also a rare sighting of Kate, who is having cancer treatment. 

The princess has made few public appearances since starting her chemotherapy treatment and stepping back from royal duties in January. 

The Prince of Wales, wearing an official blue Team GB top, said: ‘Well done to Team GB you’ve been an inspiration to us all.’

In an accompanying social media post on their account, the royal couple said: ‘Well done @teamgb, what an incredible journey!

‘Every athlete showed immense dedication, heart and passion. You made us all so proud!

‘Here’s to celebrating every triumph @paris2024 and looking forward to more from @paralympicsgb_official later in the summer’.

Kate announced she was receiving cancer treatment in March and has since been seen in public only at Trooping the Colour, the Wimbledon men’s singles final and at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral for a church service. 

Royal fans couldn’t take their eyes off of William and his beard, with one person writing on X: ‘Prince William with his stubble is hot.’

It is not the first time the Prince has dabbled in facial hair; in 2008 he sent hearts a-flutter by growing a beard for the festive season, claiming that strangers failed to recognise him. 

And despite claiming on Christmas Day that he would shave it off, he kept the fuzz for several weeks.

Fans were left hot under the collar, with one person writing: ‘Keep the beard, Prince William. Handsome.’

A third added: ‘Love the beard on Prince William,’ while a fourth said: ‘William please keep growing that beard!’ 

Meanwhile, William and beards hit headlines last year after his brother Prince Harry, 39, claimed in his explosive memoir Spare that the siblings argued over facial hair.

He said the Prince of Wales told him to shave his beard off before his wedding to Meghan Markle in May 2018.

Harry explained that he had to ask permission from his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, to have a beard for his wedding, a privilege that was not granted to William when he wed Kate Middleton in 2011. 

Harry was the first royal in 125 years to wed with a beard. The last royal to do so was George V, the son of Queen Victoria and Harry’s great-great grandfather. He wore a beard during his wedding to Princess Mary of Teck in 1893.

As it is customary to be clean-shaven when dressed in Army uniform, the groom was expected to have shaved prior to his wedding ceremony.

British Army soldiers and officers have only since been allowed to grow a full beard after King Charles gave his approval in March 2024, allowing military chiefs to end the more than 100-year ban. 

However, when Harry was granted permission by his grandmother to keep the facial hair, William ‘became livid’.

Harry reported his brother saying: ‘You put her in an uncomfortable position, Harold! She had no choice but to say yes.’

He added that William ‘wouldn’t let it go’ and that the argument continued ‘in person, on the phone, for more than a week’.

It culminated, according to Harry, with William ordering him to shave his beard off.

Harry said he replied: ‘For the love of God, Willy, why does this matter so much to you?’

‘Because I wasn’t allowed to keep my beard.’

The Duke concluded: ‘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. He hated the idea of me enjoying a perk he’d been denied.’

However, royal fans were left briefly disappointed last month after it appeared William had shaved off the beard in order to return to work. 

He was spotted clean shaven alongside his wife, the Princess of Wales, heading to Sunday service at Crathie Kirk in Edinburgh two weeks ago. 

William drove the car, smiling as he chatted with Kate who was pictured for the first time visiting the church since she announced her cancer diagnosis back in March. 

However alongside fans gushing over seeing the princess out and about, many rushed to X, formerly known as Twitter, to also ‘mourn’ William’s beard.  

One person joked: ‘Catherine saw women on the internet swooning over her husband’s beard and decided to make him shave it off. RIP beard. It was fun while it lasted. P.s. Do not expect me to stop talking about his beard.’

Another said: ‘I’m officially entering a period of mourning for William’s beard. I only saw it once, but I’ll always remember it.’

Meanwhile another said: ‘No doubt somebody will set up a GoFundMe page for the sadly departed Royal Beard.’

A fourth wrote: ‘The Prince and Princess of Wales attend the Sunday Church Service at Crathie church in Scotland. Isn’t it so lovely to see The Princess of Wales out with her family.

‘I am sending my condolences to Prince William’s beard which has now been shaven off.’

Another added: ‘The sexy scruff has been cancelled, worldwide tears ensued…’ Someone else added: ‘Awe, bring back the beard, William!! He was looking fine—he’s still sexy, but I was digging his 5 o’clock shadow.’