Prince William isn’t afraid to poke a little fun at himself.

The Prince of Wales, 42, cracked a self-deprecating joke about his thinning hair while meeting a well-wisher during his visit to the West Midlands on March 11. William traveled to Sporting Khalsa FC in Willenhall to check out a referee training course organized by the Football Association (which he backs as a patron) to recruit 1,000 individuals from Black, Asian and mixed heritage backgrounds into ref roles.

Prince William was warmly welcomed by excited schoolchildren and locals who came out to see him, where one woman’s bold red hair caught his attention during an impromptu walkabout.

“Look at your hair! It’s fantastic,” William told the well-wisher, who wore her locks in a close crop. 

“Wish I had hair like that,” he added with a laugh in the fan footage shared on X. “I know, I’ve not a chance.”

Prince William in Willenhall, England on March 11, 2025.

Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty

The Prince of Wales then smiled for a selfie when the woman asked, hinting that the royal trend of snapping selfies with fans is maybe here to stay.

Prince William has been known to quip about his hair loss in the past, previously joking that he “had hair” when he launched his environmental Earthshot Prize in 2020 and telling a hairstylist during a day out in 2017, “I don’t have much hair, I can’t give you much business.”

However, the heir to the throne got the internet talking about his facial hair when he switched up his look over the summer by sporting a beard for the first time in 16 years.

Kate Middleton and Prince William in a video issued on Aug. 11, 2024.

The Prince and Princess of Wales/X.com

Prince William had gone clean-shaven for years when he appeared with a bold beard in a video he issued with wife Kate Middleton in August 2024 to congratulate Team Great Britain on their success at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Royal watchers were shocked as he had not worn a beard in public since 2008.

William was without the scruff a few weeks later when spotted driving to church in Scotland, but he brought the beard back when he returned to work after the summer on Sept. 5. The prince has rocked the facial hair ever since, and his former royal aide Jason Knauf recently revealed he thinks Princess Kate approves of the new look!

“I love it. I think it’s great,” Knauf said about William’s beard in a Feb. 24 interview with 60 Minutes Australia. “But I’ve talked to him about it — or tried to talk to him about it. He’s like, ‘It’s here. I have a beard.’ No further conversation.’ ”

Prince William at the Sporting Khalsa FC referee training course in Willenhall, England on March 11, 2025.

Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty

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When asked if the Princess of Wales liked the look, which her husband seems to be sticking with, Knauf shared some relatable insight.

“If she didn’t like it, it wouldn’t be there. I could tell you that,” he said.