Prince Harry needed to seek permission from his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, to keep his beard when he married Meghan Markle.
The Duke of Sussex told ITV's Tom Bradby, before the release of his memoir Spare on Tuesday, that it had been the source of an argument with his brother, Prince William.
He said the beard was a "shield" to his anxiety, he feared his bride might not recognise him without it, and that his brother felt it was unfair that he had been previously made to shave off a beard.
It was one of the more obscure subjects Prince Harry raised in the interview, which also covered his years of disappointment at his family's lack of support and his anger at the British press.
Bradby said the argument over the beard was "one of the most puzzling in the book".
In a voiceover, he said: "Harry claims he went to see his granny, the Queen, to ask, as required, for permission to keep his beard for his own wedding. She was amenable, William was not.
"There was then an argument, Harry says, between the two brothers that went on for a week and ended, he claims, with his brother ordering him, as the heir to the spare, to shave it off."
Bradby then said to the duke: "I mean I just read that and thought ‘What — what is that really about?’ because that is not about 'to beard or not to beard'."
The duke replied: "I mean I refer to it as heir-spare but also older brother-younger brother, right?
"There’s a level of competition there. And again, writing this, I remembered that William had a beard himself and that granny and other people told him that he had to shave it off.
"The difference for me, if there was a difference, as I explained to my grandmother, that this beard that I’m still wearing, felt to me at the time like the new Harry. Right?
"As almost like a shield to my anxiety. That was the time of my life when I grew my beard.
"I think William found it hard that other people told him to shave it off, and yet here I was on my wedding day wearing military uniform, no longer in the military, but thinking as though I — believing as though I should shave it off before my wedding day.
"And I said ,‘Well, I don’t believe that Meghan’s going to recognise me if she comes up the aisle and sees me beardless’.
"I would feel very, very different without my beard, and that’s hard for people to understand who’ve never grown a beard, but hopefully those beard people out there will go ‘Yeah, no, I fully get that, I can understand’."
Prince Harry's account prompted comedian David Baddiel to question whether the topic warranted a “constitutional crisis”.
“As a man with a beard I relate to Harry not wanting to shave off his beard,” Baddiel tweeted.
“But not to the idea that having or not having a beard can become some kind of constitutional crisis.”
The 90-minute interview was packed with the duke's criticism of his family.
Prince Harry's autobiography: What to expect
Referring to the British press, he accused members of his family of “getting into bed with the devil” to rehabilitate their image, and his father King Charles of sacrificing his son’s interests in favour of his own.
The duke also criticised family members for a “really horrible reaction” on the day Queen Elizabeth died, with leakings and briefings.
He also said he loved his father and brother, the Prince of Wales, but: “At the moment, I don’t recognise them, as much as they probably don’t recognise me.”
“Nothing of what I’ve done in this book or otherwise has ever been any intention to harm them or hurt them."
His book has sparked a furore over his claims that Prince William physically attacked him, and his admission that he killed 25 Taliban members during the Afghanistan war.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, through the years - in pictures
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Doria Ragland, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attend the Ms Foundation Women of Vision Awards in New York City. Getty -
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies in Los Angeles in April. Getty -
The royal couple speak onstage at the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala in New York in December 2022. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan watch as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is placed into the hearse following the state funeral service at Westminster Abbey in central London in September 2022. AP -
Prince Harry and Meghan pay their respects at the Palace of Westminster. Getty -
Prince Harry, Meghan and Kate, Princess of Wales, attend a service for the reception of Queen Elizabeth's coffin at Westminster Hall. AFP -
The Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan meet members of the public outside Windsor Castle. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan leave after a service of thanksgiving for the queen. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York in September 2021. AP -
Prince Harry and Meghan on the cover of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world edition, in September 2021. Reuters -
Prince Harry and Meghan are interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in March 2021. Reuters -
Prince Harry and Meghan shared this image on social media in February 2021 to announce they were expecting their second child. AFP -
Prince Harry and Meghan visit Canada House, London, in January 2020. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan visit Auwal Mosque on Heritage Day during their royal tour of South Africa in September 2019. Getty -
Prince Harry, Meghan and their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor in South Africa in September 2019. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan meet Beyonce Knowles-Carter and Jay-Z at the European Premiere of Disney's The Lion King at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, London, in July 2019. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan pose for a photo with the New York Yankees before their baseball game against the Boston Red Sox at London Stadium in June 2019. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan pose with their newborn son Archie in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle in May 2019. Getty -
Meghan, joined by her mother Ms Ragland, shows her new son to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle in May 2019. AP -
Prince Harry and Meghan officially open Number 7, a Feeding Birkenhead citizen’s supermarket and community cafe in Merseyside in January 2019. Getty -
Prince William, the Princess of Wales, Meghan and Prince Harry attend a Christmas Day church service at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate in December 2018. Getty -
Prince William, Prince Harry, Meghan and the Duchess of Cambridge attend a service marking the centenary of the First World War armistice at Westminster Abbey in November 2018. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan visit Redwoods Tree Walk in October 2018 in Rotorua, New Zealand. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan visit an exhibition of Tongan handicrafts at the Fa'onelua Convention Centre in October 2018 in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan visit the University of the South Pacific in October 2018 in Suva, Fiji. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan address the public during a Community Event at Victoria Park in October 2018 in Dubbo, Australia. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan meet a koala during a visit to Taronga Zoo in October 2018 in Sydney, Australia. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan arrive at the University of Chichester's Engineering and Digital Technology Park during an official visit to West Sussex in October 2018. Getty -
The queen, Meghan, Prince Harry, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge watch the RAF 100th anniversary fly-past from the balcony of Buckingham Palace in July 2018. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan on their wedding day in May 2018. Getty -
Prince Harry places a wedding ring on his new wife's finger. Getty -
Meghan and Prince Harry head to their evening wedding reception at Frogmore House. Getty -
Prince Harry and Meghan walk through the corridors of the Palace of Holyroodhouse on their way to a reception for young people at the Palace in February 2018 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Getty -
Prince Harry and his then-fiancee Meghan visit Nottingham for their first official public engagement together in December 2017. Getty
