Prince William jokes about his new look

Prince William has revealed an unexpected reason behind the dramatic change to his appearance.

The future monarch, who had always been clean-shaven in his life, surprised fans when he appeared with a beard for the first time in the last November during his wife Princess Kate's cancer treatment.

The Prince of Wales revealed why he made the change in a sweet conversation after attending the VE Day Service of Thanksgiving on Thursday, where he spoke to some veterans and their families.

Gillian Walklate, the daughter of Dorothy Smith who served as a Wren with the Royal Navy in Portsmouth went on revealing: "The prince was saying his neck order kept banging on his chin and he joked that's why he had grown a beard."

Lavishing praise on the royal, she added: "He was so friendly and just so easy to speak to."

The father-of-three may have taken a jesting tone, but he's still to reveal the real reason behind his brand new facial hair. However, some experts believe the new look could be the William' first significant trend-setting style moment.

William's style appears to have sparked a trend, with some hairstylists noticing a surge in men adopting similar facial hair styles since the heir to the British throne popularised the look.

"Prince William's short beard gives the appearance of grooming effort as opposed to stubble where it just looks like the person didn't have time to shave,"  Paul Windle of Windle London Salon in Covent Garden explained to Hello!.

The hair professional went on guessing that the age could also be a reason as the jaw line can become less prominent so a short well-groomed beard can really help.

King Charles III's eldest son William hasn't publicly revealed a specific reason for changing his look. However, he has been open about his approach to his future role as King, focusing on empathy, philanthropy, and collaboration.

Princess Kate's husband has already admitted the he would like to do things differently, with a "smaller 'r' in royal," emphasising his desire for more empathetic leadership.