The Prince of Wales thanked artists for taking part in a groundbreaking homelessness exhibition as he sported his summer beard in public for the first time.
William debuted his new look in an online video with his wife Kate in August, when they praised the achievements of the nation’s athletes after the Paris Olympics.
The stubble was still in place as he toured Homelessness: Reframed, an exhibition that aims to give a fresh perspective on the issue, with sculptures, photographs and everyday objects given a new life by artists who may have slept rough.
William’s Homewards project, which aims to develop a blueprint for eradicating homelessness in all its forms, is the driving force behind the art exhibition which opened at the Saatchi Gallery in London in August.
The beard of the future King, who turned 42 in June, had flecks of grey and looked neatly trimmed to the same length as in his video appearance last month.
The Duke of Sussex has claimed his brother William was jealous of his beard and ordered him to shave it off before he married Meghan in 2018.
Harry wrote in his autobiography Spare how William became “livid” and “raised his voice” when the duke said he had already asked permission from their grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, to keep his beard for his wedding.
The duke said the argument went on for more than a week on the phone and in person, adding: “He wouldn’t let it go. At one point he actually ordered me, as the heir speaking to the spare, to shave.”
He claimed William “hated” the idea that he was allowed to keep his beard – a perk denied to William.
Robi Walters said William was entranced by his work, two colourful circles made from collages of sprayed paper, with one representing the future and the other the present.
The artist added: “He said it was mesmerising and he really, really liked it and he was also thanking me for being part of the project, saying it was really important the right people who have got authentic stories to tell are sharing this message – we’re trying to reframe what homelessness is.”
William also caught up with Big Issue seller Dave Martin who has sold the homelessness magazine with the future king in past years, and was commissioned to create a piece of abstract art for the project.
Photographer Rankin had captured the portraits of a number of former homeless people, blowing up their black and white images to create “larger than life” characters defying the stigma of once being without a home.
He said: “The concept the organisers came up with was so much about flipping the narrative on what it is to be homeless.
“The reason I made the pictures big was because I wanted them to be icons and larger than life. This person was homeless, that person was homeless but look at them now.”