Prince William stunned by troops' style change: 'Amazing'

The future British monarch, Prince William, was left stunned by troops from the Mercian Regiment at Picton Barracks in Bulford, Wiltshire.

During the meeting with soldiers, the Prince of Wales decided to make a major change to his style. 

William, dressed in camouflage gear, encountered numerous officers proudly displaying moustaches.

Surprisingly, the trendy look prompted the future king to quip about potentially trimming his beard down to just a moustache.

Lieutenant Jack Austin, 23, from south Manchester, revealed he had raised the topic of facial hair during their conversation.

"I brought it up when I was chatting to the prince and he said 'maybe I should get rid of the beard and just have the moustache'," the officer recalled.

The moustache trend among officers began during their deployment to Estonia, with Lt Austin explaining that several of them grew the facial hair while stationed in the Baltic nation and "it snowballed from there".

Lieutenant Harris Debonnaire, 26, claimed credit for starting the look, having initially grown his bushy moustache for the Movember charity campaign. "It just grew on me," he joked.

The 2024 rule change permitting Army personnel to grow full beards marked a significant modernisation of the service, bringing it in line with policies already in place at the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, while also aiming to boost recruitment.

To a question about William's sporting preferences betwen football or rugby, the prince confirmed his allegiance to football and his beloved Aston Villa.

Harry's brother also raised a new initiative designed to bring servicewomen together for regular discussions, which the group described as "welcomed" and particularly beneficial for those lacking a female presence in their direct chain of command.