Prince Harry's new hair at mental health summit divides fans

Prince Harry's haircut in his latest public appearance has divided royal fans, prompting an online debate about the future of the royal icon's look. 

• Prince Harry's new hair has divided fans, with some even calling for the royal to shave it all off. 
• The Duke of Sussex debuted the updated haircut in a virtual summit for BetterUp, a mental health startup he has supported since March 2021.
• In other royal news, Princess Anne's touching nod to her late father in moving video.
  

Prince Harry's latest haircut has sparked a flurry of online chatter, as Sussex fans deliver their mixed verdicts on the iconic new look. 

The Duke of Sussex debuted the fresh 'do during a virtual summit for BetterUp, his mental health startup, on Thursday—and viewers had plenty to say about the bold change. 

Joined by tennis star Serena Williams for the exciting livestream, the 37-year-old spoke candidly about the importance of 'self-care' after suffering from 'burnout' in his royal service. 

He also urged employers to grant their staff time to 'focus on themselves', suggesting a minimum of 15 minutes a day to build 'mental fitness'. For Harry, who has two young children with his wife Meghan Markle, meditation is his favorite tool for combatting life's stresses. He aims to practice the ritual daily, treating it as a habit similar to 'brushing your teeth'. 

"I need to make it a habit. If it's not, it's the first one that dropped away from your busy day," he explained. 

While many fans were quick to applaud Harry for his endorsement of mental health strategies, others felt the message was overshadowed by an unlikely distraction—his hair. 

The Duke, who has long been known for his luscious red hair, stunned viewers after unveiling a noticeably shorter cut during the insightful conversation. It appears that the business-savvy dad has shed (either deliberately or accidentally) volume from the crown of his head and trimmed the tresses behind his ears, resulting in a much neater style. 

The new image has divided fans, with some folks welcoming the change and others pining for the old 'do. 

"Prince Harry looking fiiinnneee!! Wow, does California look good on him or what?" one Sussex follower swooned on Twitter. 

"Prince Harry's hair truly hanging on by a thread at this point i [sic] can’t believe the bad genes got to him," another person tweeted, likely referring to Prince William, whose hair has been visibly receding for over a decade. 

One person even suggested that Prince Harry shave his hair off altogether, arguing that he had the "perfect head shape to be bald."

The frenzy comes less than a couple of weeks after a royal artist revealed she was 'savaged' for giving Prince William too much hair in her impression of him. The Duke of Cambridge has long been criticized for his sparse locks, which began to thin around 2010. Fortunately, the 39-year-old has maintained a good sense of humor about the 'flaw', even joking about it on occasion at public engagements.