Prince William ‘Became Livid’ After Harry Went to Queen Elizabeth for Permission to Keep Pre-Wedding Beard: ‘He Wouldn’t Let It Go’

A fight over … facial hair? Prince Harry claimed that Prince William “was livid” after the Duke of Sussex had a conversation with Queen Elizabeth II about permission to keep his pre-wedding beard. Before his televised nuptials to Meghan Markle in May 2018, Harry, 38, spoke with his late grandmother and got the “green light” to keep his facial hair for the ceremony. However, William, 40, "bristled" at the thought, according to an excerpt from Spare, exclusively obtained by Us Weekly. Harry wrote that during a tense conversation with his brother, he informed the Prince of Wales that “his opinion didn't really matter” because the late Queen had already signed off on the beard. “He raised his voice,” Harry wrote, noting that William had claimed his grandmother “had no choice but to say yes.” FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Tim Rooke/Shutterstock The Archewell Foundation found this ridiculous, saying that because she was the Queen of England, “she can speak for herself.” Despite the Queen’s decision, the beard conversation continued both in person and over the phone for a week-long period of time. “He wouldn't let it go,” Harry wrote. “At one point he actually ordered me, as the Heir speaking to the Spare, to shave. Are you serious?” Not to mention, the author “feared” William would recruit his friends to hold Harry down and shave his face during his Bachelor party — especially if he got too drunk. William even admitted this was his plan. But why was the beard such a big deal to the eldest brother? Harry speculated that his brother thought the Queen had a “soft spot” for the younger prince. Elsewhere, Harry also claimed it was because William “wasn't allowed” to keep his “full beard” after returning from a military assignment. “He hated the idea of me enjoying a perk he'd been denied,” he wrote, noting that William wasn’t able to get married in a uniform of his own choosing — something else Harry was allowed to do. Continuing the story, Harry said that William had “confirmed” this during one of their beard conversations. The Duke of Cambridge had “complained bitterly” to his younger sibling about the entire situation until Harry put his foot down. “Finally, I told him flatly and defiantly that his bearded brother was getting married soon, and he could either get on board or not,” Harry wrote. “The choice was to him.” This is hardly the first argument between himself and William that Harry detailed in his forthcoming memoir. In fact, the prince refers to his older sibling as his “archnemesis” in the book. “There has always been this competition between us, weirdly. I think it really plays into or always played by the ‘heir/spare,’” Harry explained in the preview of his interview on Good Morning America promoting the book’s release. Spare will be released on Tuesday, January 10.