Prince Harry, 33, and Prince William, 35, both appear to be losing their hair – if older pictures are compared to the pair now.
Prince Charles’ hair is also thinning. Why do the male royals seem to be losing their hair? Are they suffering from male pattern baldness?
A consultant plastic surgeon from the Skin and Follicle Clinic in Birmingham, Ken Kok, analysed Prince Harry’s hairline.
He concluded that Prince Harry’s hair loss is genetic, a trait shared by his brother and father.
Looking at pictures of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Nottingham recently, Ken Kok said: “There are differing patterns in male pattern baldness.
“In recent pictures, Prince Harry’s bald patch looks to be mainly affecting his crown but I wouldn’t be surprised if his temples were also affected somewhat as this is the usual pattern.”
Another expert Dr Thomy Kouremada-Zioga, a hair transplant surgeon predicted that Harry will be bald by his wedding – although Dr Kok revealed it is difficult to know if this would be the case.
He said: “It is difficult to know how much the balding will progress or how quickly, however, it will most likely get worse if he doesn’t have treatment given his family history.”
What is male pattern balding?
The NHS states: “Male-pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss, affecting around half of all men by the age of 50.
“It usually starts around the late 20s or early 30s, and most men have some degree of hair loss by their late 30s.”
While Harry’s hair is apparently thinning at the crown first, male pattern baldness usually begins at the hairline, and then the crown and temples begin to thin.
Eventually, this leaves, “a horseshoe shape around the back and sides of the head,” the NHS adds.
Prince Harry first showed signs of balding when he attended mass at church with the Royal Family in December 2015.
Hair loss and balding treatment
Dr Kok said: “Early treatments for balding include medications like minoxidil or propecia and vitamin supplements like viviscal pro which are aimed at slowing hair loss.
“Platelet rich plasma injections which make use of the high concentrations of growth factors in platelets can also help slow hair loss and improve hair growth.”
There is also the options of a hair transplant, the expert suggests.
He added: “Once hair loss has established and stabilised then a hair transplant can be considered. The latest technological advance in this field is the use of the ARTAS robot which is able to harvest hair follicles with unparalleled accuracy.”
Of course, it is unclear whether Prince Harry has ever had or sought any treatment for hair loss.
The NHS recommends various treatment options, including two medications, called finasteride and minoxidil – however, it does warn: “These treatments don’t work for everyone and only work for as long as they’re continued.
“They are not available on the NHS and can be expensive.”
Various types of hair loss shampoo are on the market, however, there are currently no published trials to demonstrate they really work.