Prince William returns to public duties with a change to his look

The heir to the throne was out in London on Sept. 5

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024 11:53 AM EDTSEP 5, 2024, 11:53 AM EDT

The beard is back! The Prince of Wales returned to public duties on Thursday sporting facial hair. Prince William showed off his beard last month in a video with the Princess of Wales congratulating the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team, but was spotted two weeks later driving to Crathie Kirk in Scotland without it.

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Created in collaboration between Homewards, Saatchi Gallery and Eleven Eleven Foundation

His Royal Highness has let his beard grow out since. The heir to the throne was rocking a neat beard for his visit to London's Saatchi Gallery on Sept. 5 to view the Homelessness: Reframed exhibition, which brings to life the breadth and complexities of homelessness. The exhibition also aims to help people engage with and better understand the stories of those who have experienced homelessness.

Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales poses in front of the art piece by Dave Martin called "Sanctuary" during a visit of the exhibition "Homelessness: Reframed", at the Saatchi Gallery, in London, on September 5, 2024. The exhibition brings to life the breadth and complexities of homelessness and aims to help the public to engage with, and better understand, the stories of those who have experienced the issue. (Photo by Chris Jackson / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION (Photo by CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Ahead of the engagement, Kensington Palace posted on X (formerly Twitter), "Looking forward to today’s visit to @HomewardsUK ’s #HomelessnessReframed exhibition at @saatchi_gallery."

During the outing, the Prince, who is an advocate for the homeless and those at risk of homelessness, met with artists who contributed pieces to the exhibition. The Homelessness: Reframed was created in collaboration between Homewards, the Saatchi Gallery and the Eleven Eleven Foundation. William and the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales launched Homewards, a five-year program that aims to demonstrate that homelessness can be ended, in 2023. A central objective of Homewards is to "change the narrative and challenge negative perceptions and stereotypes around homelessness."

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 5: Prince William, Prince of Wales attends the "Homelessness: Reframed" exhibition at the saatchi gallery on September 5, 2024 in London, England. Prince William met with artists behind the newly commissioned works for the exhibition, as well as individuals whose personal experiences have served as inspiration for some of the pieces. (Photo by Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Homewards this summer, it was announced that a Saatchi Gallery exhibition and an ITV documentary would be coming soon. "As we work to demonstrate that it is possible to end homelessness, #Homewards is also about changing the narrative, improving the understanding of what it means to be homeless," the Waleses' social media accounts wrote at the time.

The two-part documentary series, which is scheduled to air this autumn on ITV1 and ITVX, will "give an exclusive, behind the scenes look at the first year of the Homewards programme" and will follow William "as he launches Homewards across the country, as well as the journeys of those currently facing homelessness or who have lived experience of the issue."