Prince William's beard may have sent fans into a frenzy this summer, but it turns out that some royals have a hard time with facial hair. In a new interview (via People), the Prince of Wales revealed that Princess Charlotte “burst into tears” when she first saw her dad's new look.

William, 42, spoke with reporters on November 7 after a trip to Cape Town, South Africa, to promote the Earthshot Awards, and amid such profound topics as Princess Kate and King Charles' cancer journey, he opened up for the first time about his headline-making beard.

The Crown Prince revealed his facial hair to fans in a video (along with Snoop Dogg, David Beckham, and others) created by the royal couple to congratulate the British athletes after the Paris Olympics in August. The video quickly went viral. Behind the scenes, however, there were also tears in the Welsh family.

“Charlotte didn't want to do it the first time,” William said, adding that “tears flowed” from his 9-year-old daughter. In fact, she was so upset that her devoted father decided to “shave it off.”

But he changed his mind. The crown prince recounted his decision to grow his beard back, “I thought, ‘Wait a minute, I've convinced my daughter that it's okay.’”

This explains why Prince William, who did not have a beard in a photo taken when he attended church on August 25, showed off his fan-favorite facial hair again in early September.

According to People, when a reporter commented that the beard gave Prince William, who was wearing a blue blazer he bought secondhand from a vintage London store after growing the beard at the Earthshot Awards ceremony, a more “relaxed” look, the prince He said he was surprised by the comment.

“It's interesting you say that. I'm more relaxed than ever this year, so it's very interesting to see you all seeing that,” the prince remarked.

The Prince then spoke about the difficult situation in 2024, when both his father and wife were diagnosed with cancer. He said, “It was horrible, to be honest. It was probably the hardest year of my life,” he said.

Finally, William said that he got through the year by focusing on his family. And while Charlotte may not be a big fan of her dad's makeover, she made him an adorable gift to wear during his trip to South Africa. The princess made a beaded bracelet that read “PAPA,” which William proudly wore throughout the week of their engagement.