A Timeline Of Prince William's Brutal Hair Transformation

With his thick blonde hair styled in a side-parting sweep, William, Prince of Wales, was the spitting image of his mom, Princess Diana, growing up. However, as he entered his twenties, William began to undergo a hair transformation that made him look increasingly like his father, King Charles III — something that didn't go unnoticed by his brother, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. In his memoir "Spare," Harry wrote about noticing William's rapidly thinning hair when he saw him at their grandfather, Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021, and how his resemblance to their mother was diminishing as he aged. 

Thankfully, William takes the hair loss in his stride. "I don't know if you guys have heard about the Earthshot Prize, but it's an initiative I started about two years ago now, although it's been about four years in the making — I had hair when it started," he joked in July 2023 before serving burgers to a stunned crowd.

However, hair loss expert Penny James of the Penny James Trichology Center said that balding is no laughing matter for many. "Men of all ages suffer a great deal from the emotional trauma of losing their hair," she told Nicki Swift. "I hear daily from my young male clients at my Trichology Center how their hair loss has eroded their self-confidence. They are consumed by hair shedding, affecting their quality of life." Thankfully, that doesn't appear to be the case with William. James talked us through a timeline of his hair transformation.

William, Prince of Wales, started showing signs of hair thinning around 22, a common age, according to expert Penny James. "His hair loss does align with the typical timeline," she told Nicki Swift, noting that although there were early signs William was balding, it didn't appear to bother him at all.

It certainly didn't cramp his style. In fact, William was juggling women and living his best single life in 2004, reportedly dating model and socialite Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe while on a break from Catherine, Princess of Wales, with whom he was snapped skiing earlier in the year.

By the time William, Prince of Wales, hit 27 in 2009, he was thinning considerably on the top of his head. Still, he was in good company. "Studies have shown that 30-50% of men will show some signs of hair loss male pattern baldness by 50," Penny James told Nicki Swift. "Affecting the temples, vertex, and mid-frontal scalp."

It was a busy time in William's life as he embarked on his military career in earnest. He also dedicated time to one of the causes close to his heart. As patron of the Centerpoint homeless charity, William spent a night sleeping rough on the streets of London with the organization's chief executive, Seyi Obakin.

William, Prince of Wales, was 32 years old in 2014. As he balded further, William started looking less like his late mom, Diana, Princess of Wales, and more like his father, King Charles III. And he can thank the latter for his thinning thatch. "Hereditary hair loss accounts for 80% of hair loss," Penny James told Nicki Swift.

Still, as a father himself now, he likely had other things on his mind than hairdos. William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, welcomed their first son, Prince George, in July 2013.

When William, Prince of Wales, turned 34 in 2016, there was no hope of hiding his baldness anymore. Still, William took it all in his stride, keeping the ever-thinning top and the sides short and neat. At this point, aside from using medications or considering a transplant, there was no going back.

"The feature of male pattern baldness is the interruption of the hair growth cycle," Penny James told Nicki Swift. "During the growing stage, anagen slows down, and the hairs become thinner and shorter. They are called velus hairs, along with follicular miniaturization and inflammation around the follicle. The hair never grows again, leaving an empty and sometimes no follicle."

When William, Prince of Wales, turned 36 in 2018, his balding was complete. But the royal had no issue with baring all. Instead of attempting to cover up with a comb-over, William shaved off what remained of his hair.

His hair loss hasn't affected his looks. According to The Sun, William was crowned "world's sexiest bald man" in 2021. The survey was based on Google research into how often celebrities were described as "sexy," "hot," or "attractive" online. With 17.6 million mentions, William beat out Mike Tyson, Jason Statham, and, erm... Vladimir Putin.