Wills, the black (haired) prince... and his rather suspicious hairstyle

By Rebecca English

Crowning glory: The unusually dark-haired Prince William as he appears on the cover of Hello! magazine


Could it be a trick of the light? Or is Prince William the first member of the Royal Family to dabble in, dare one say it, a touch of Grecian 2000?

A new portrait of the future king, taken only last month, shows him with a good covering of dark hair.

It is all the more striking because it was taken just before his royal tour of Australia, where a gust of wind left onlookers in no doubt about his thinning crown

The image is one of several appearing in Hello! this week after they were sold to the celebrity magazine for an undisclosed sum in aid of charity.

But while some make it look as if William has dyed his hair, it appears the change of colour may be down to either lighting or computer trickery because in other pictures his familiar dark blond locks are on display.



Thinning heir: Wills in Sydney last month


The cover picture, showing the 27-year-old prince with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, smiling cheekily at the camera, was taken by a former drug addict and rough sleeper and is the first official royal portrait to be taken by a non-professional.

Jeff Hubbard, 53, was eventually helped by Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people, and now has his own flat in East London.

The charity persuaded William to let himself be photographed by Mr Hubbard. A double portrait signed by both men will be displayed at Somerset House in London from March 10 as part of the exhibition A Positive View before being auctioned for the charity.

Although the money from the sale of the photos to Hello! will go to Crisis, there will be concern that William is allowing his 'image rights' to be used for commercial advantage.

Members of the Royal Family have been repeatedly criticised for offering tame interviews or pictures of private events for commercial gain to Hello!.

The Queen's grandson Peter Phillips was lambasted for selling the photographic rights to his 2008 wedding for a reported £500,000. The Duchess of York has also featured in lucrative spreads, as has Princess Michael of Kent and the Countess of Wessex.


source: dailymail