Princess Charlotte may be third in line to the British throne, but like most little girls, she already has her dad Prince William wrapped around her finger. The Prince of Wales shared a funny story about his 9-year-old daughter, who he shares with wife Kate Middleton, and it proves she has royal influence over at least one aspect of his life.
At the Earthshot Prize Awards in Cape Town, South Africa, on Nov. 7, Prince William rocked a scruffy beard, which his daughter almost didn’t allow to happen. In an interview, Prince William said Princess Charlotte had an emotional reaction the first time he grew a beard earlier this year. “Well, Charlotte didn’t like it the first time. I got floods of tears, the first one I got tears, so I had to shave it off,” he said, per PEOPLE.
Aww, how sweet is that? Facial hair can dramatically change a person’s face, and with everything else going on in Charlotte’s life — like her mother and her grandfather King Charles going through cancer treatment at the exact same time — I completely understand why she would want everything else to stay the same. Prince William listening to her and shaving it off out of respect shows how much he cares for his kids above all else.
Still, he wanted a beard, so he talked her through it. “Then I grew it back. I thought, hang on a second, and I convinced her it was going to be okay,” he explained. I’m sure it was much less jarring after he talked her through it and eased her concerns and fears, which makes his beard now even cooler!
Another sign of his connection to his daughter? The friendship bracelet Prince William was spotted wearing during his multiple engagements on the trip. In photos, you can see the blue-and-green bracelet that has “Papa” in beads on it, which is what Charlotte and her brothers Prince George, 11, and Prince Louis, 6, call their dad.
“This is a relic, if you like, from a Taylor Swift concert that my daughter decided that she wanted to create a bracelet for,” Prince William explained about the homemade accessory in an interview, per Express. “She gave it to me when I came away. So I promised to wear it and try not to lose while I was out here.”
The concert in question happened in June, when William brought George and Charlotte to the Eras Tour at Wimbledon and took an iconic selfie. “Thank you @taylorswift for a great evening! #LondonTSTheErastour” the Wales’s Instagram account captioned the post.
It’s clear Prince William is always thinking about his kids, and we love these little reminders of how much he loves them.
Before you go, check out these hilarious moments when Princess Charlotte proved she’s the Queen of Sass.
