When Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, was persuading Queen Elizabeth II to permit him to keep his beard for his wedding, he explained that his facial hair played a key role in his identity and his relationship with Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. “I desperately wanted to hang on to something that had become an effective check on my anxiety,” Harry wrote in “Spare.” Harry asserted that Meghan only knew his bearded visage and was a big fan. “She loved to grab it and pull me in for a kiss. I didn’t want her coming down the aisle and seeing a total stranger.” When the queen consented, Harry recalled that William, Prince of Wales, was annoyed and reportedly claimed that Harry had pushed their grandmother into giving her consent. Harry chalked his brother’s reaction up to jealousy since William had been clean-shaven for his own wedding.
During an interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby, Harry hypothesized that his attachment to his facial hair might be more understandable to other people who have had the experience of growing a beard. Adam Mallaby of Beyond, a mental health charity for young people, corroborated Harry’s sentiments. “It’s almost like a bit of a comfort blanket, a bit of a safety net,” Mallaby explained to the BBC. Mental health has long been an important topic for the duke, and Harry has been candid about discussing his go-to methods of self-care.
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