Princess Charlotte 'in floods of tears' after seeing Prince William's beard

The Prince of Wales has revealed how his daughter Charlotte was far from a fan of his beard and he was forced to shave it off before he was able to convince her it was "ok"

Prince William has told how he was forced to shave off his beard because it reduced his daughter Charlotte to "floods of tears".

The Prince of Wales was speaking as he brought a four-day visit to South Africa to an end and told of his love for the country while he would like to return with his children George, 11, Charlotte, nine and Louis, five, in the near future. He revealed he had upset his daughter so much with his beard he was forced to take drastic action.

William said: “Well Charlotte didn’t like it the first time. I got floods of tears, so I had to shave it off. And then I grew it back. I convinced her it was going to be OK!”

William also spoke during his trip of his pride in his father Charles, 74, and his wife Kate, 42, for the bravery they have shown throughout their cancer ordeals. The future king said of the annus horribilis: “Honestly? It’s been dreadful. It’s probably been the hardest year in my life. So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.

“But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been brutal.” This year, Charles went to hospital with an enlarged prostate, spending three nights at The London Clinic in January, while Kate spent nearly two weeks there after abdominal surgery. Buckingham Palace announced on February 5 the monarch had a form of cancer, while the princess was diagnosed just days later, although she did not share the news until late March.

William took a leave of absence to care for Kate and their children but announced his return to royal life on foreign soil this week with the culmination of the 2024 Earthshot Prize awards at a glittering ceremony in Cape Town. The prince heralded the success of the fourth instalment of his global environmental awards – giving five £1million prizes each year over a decade for solutions to the most pressing climate issues, as well as taking the phenomenon to Africa for the first time.

William met inspiring young people from townships using sport to lift themselves from poverty, entrepreneurs, environmentalists and the South African president Cyril Ramaphosa. He also joined supermodels Heidi Klum and Winnie Harlow – who presented awards – on a boat tour of the picturesque fishing village of Kalk Bay.

Royal aides said the trip was evidence of William emerging into a new era of statesmanship, after being in the role of Prince of Wales for the last two years since his father became King. There is no doubt William has entered a new phase, from the causes he has taken on, to his ambitions for the future.