‘Vacation mode’: Prince William’s rugged new look sparks huge debate online

William and Kate congratulated Team GB athletes in a surprise video with Snoop Dogg and David Beckham

Prince William stole the spotlight in a surprise video with Princess Kate as his new rugged look sparked a major online debate.

The Prince and Princess of Wales joined Snoop Dogg and David Beckham to congratulate Team GB athletes as the 2024 Paris Olympics came to an end this weekend.

In the video posted to their social media, Kate said: “From all of us watching at home, congratulations to Team GB.” William then added: “Well done on all you’ve achieved, you’ve been an inspiration to us all.”

However, it was not the couple’s kind message that grabbed the attention of viewers as most seemed preoccupied by their appearances.

Kate, who is undergoing cancer treatment, stood smiling in a striped long-sleeved top and a simple necklace. William sported a markedly more casual look, with a Team GB T-shirt and most notably a long stubble.

(Prince William and Kate Middleton)

Royal fans immediately took to the facial hair, which marked a departure from his usual clean-shaven look.

“Love the beard on Prince William,” one social media commented as another pleaded: “William please keep growing that beard!’.

Another illustrated their approval with flame and heart eyes emojis as they wrote: “William with a tan and a beard!!!!”

Others took a more sarcastic approach to the new look saying: “Ohhh... William is really in vacation mode.”

“Someone got permission from the king to grow a beard,” another one wrote.

The couple joined a host of A-list celebrities appearing in the video which they captioned on their social media accounts: “In an accompanying social media post on their account, the royal couple said: ‘Well done @teamgb, what an incredible journey!

“Every athlete showed immense dedication, heart and passion. You made us all so proud!

“Here’s to celebrating every triumph @paris2024 and looking forward to more from @paralympicsgb_official later in the summer.”

American rapper Snoop Dogg, who has been seen regularly at this year’s games, opened the video by saying “greetings loved ones” and ended it with the words “thank you Great Britain, on behalf of big Snoop Dogg, the prince and his lovely wife”.

David Beckham also featured in the video adding: “Hey Team GB, we are so proud of you, congratulations.”

Some of the others who featured in the video include former swimmer Rebecca Adlington, former track and field athlete Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, former middle distance runner Dame Kelly Holmes, presenter and author Greg James and TV presenter Emma Willis.

While King Charles did not feature in the fun video, he and Camilla issued a statement to mark the occasion.

The pair sent their “warmest congratulations to the competitors and their support teams from Team GB and across the whole Commonwealth”.

“Your achievements, across so many disciplines, were forged from that invaluable combination of raw talent, true grit and hard toil over many years, burnished these past weeks by sportsmanship and team spirit in the finest tradition of the Games,” the message read.

“To those who missed out on the greatest prizes, you have most certainly not fallen short in the pride that you, too, have generated for your nations.

“As we thank France for hosting such a wonderful tournament and look to the Paralympics ahead, I can only say that you have all been an inspiration.”