Sam McKnight, who used to cut the Prince’s hair when he was a boy, shares his advice for fixing ‘that fluff on his head’
I used to cut Prince Harry’s hair when he was a little boy. And he had the best head of hair. Him and his brother and his mother all had wonderful, abundant, lush, thick locks. But I’m a hairdresser, and I’m here to give advice. For Harry now, that fluff on his head is like a newborn chick and it is just horrible. It says 1950s geography teacher. It doesn’t make a man look good. He’s lost so much weight, he looks really fit, he’s in his prime – sort yourself out, mate. It’s been driving me mad for years, and I don’t know why he hasn’t had a hair transplant yet or shaved it all off.
I’m really not criticising him. I feel I can say it because I was in the same situation with my hair. I began to go bald in my early 30s, and I remember bleaching my hair white because I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it again. And then I had a little fluff on top, but it wasn’t as fluffy as Harry’s. And then I shaved it off. I’m 69 now – if I was his age, or in my 20s, 30s or even 50s, I would have a transplant immediately because they are so great nowadays.
What Harry has now is ageing. He looks like he could be someone in his 50s. Maybe he doesn’t care, and that’s fantastic, if you really don’t care. But I suspect that even if he doesn’t care, if he did have a hair transplant, it would really rejuvenate him. He would feel really good. And I wish someone would lead him to it. I’m surprised his wife hasn’t done that yet. He’s in LA, he’s in the best place for a hair transplant. I’m sure some of his friends have really good ones, and he’s got plenty of time on his hands. He could have it done and hide away for a month, no one will notice. Nowadays who cares? It doesn’t matter.
The thing with Harry is I see him and I think: “Oh, you could look so much better.” He’s a tall, handsome man, he dresses much better now. He’s got that kind of lax, American look with his casual suit and open-necked shirt. He’s lean and fit, too. But then this fluff on top? I’m in the business of making people look better and feel better. So it’s my natural thing to think “what can you do about it”.
When I would cut his hair as a child, he just wanted to get it done and he couldn’t be bothered – probably like he is now. He was a little naughty one, very cute. And William liked his hair gel, but Harry, who was much younger, wasn’t interested.
I don’t want to compare the two, but Harry was very mean about William in his book Spare, about him losing his looks because he went bald. William now looks so well; he has taken his hair very short, and looks much better for it. I don’t think you lose your looks because you go bald. You have to embrace it. Or you have to make the decision not to embrace it, and have a hair transplant.
I remember seeing the cover of Harry’s book and I thought it was really retouched. So if it was, he’s obviously thought about his hair because he wouldn’t have had that image edited otherwise. I just find it odd that his hair would be the last thing that he would think about. You see people and you think: “You’re hanging onto these little wisps, let it go and free yourself.” I know it’s a psychological thing, hanging onto the wisps, but now’s the time to let it go.
I can see why he’s holding on. Hair is so entrenched in who we are, it’s everything to us, it’s your protection and your shield and it’s how you portray yourself. It’s your power really, especially if you have really good hair, it’s powerful. He had that abundant mop of red, glorious hair, but that has disappeared. I think that these little wisps disempower him. He would be so much more empowered if he did something about that. If he was sitting down in my chair as his barber, that’s what I would tell him.
For anyone in the same boat, don’t do any of that spray-on sooty stuff, because that’s just a giveaway. I would say the easiest thing to do is a number one or two grade all over, see how you cope with that for a few weeks, and then decide what you want to do – either a hair transplant or shave it all off. I think Harry would look great with a transplant because he’s young enough to carry it off. He’s got plenty round the sides to harvest to stick on top! I think his beard is good whether he has a transplant or decides to go bald.
A couple of my friends have been trying to egg me on to have a hair transplant, but I’m so used to my baldness, I’ve never had a thing about it. So for me to do it now at 69, it might look a bit weird with me and my old wrinkled face to turn up with a thatch of hair like one of my wigs. Because Botox and baldness don’t really go together. But I have to say, as time goes on, never say never.
Ultimately, for Harry, it’s whatever makes him happy, but I suspect he would really like it if he did something about it. And I bet his wife would really like it too. He’s funny and he’s naughty, still, the same naughty little boy, and he’s still got that. He should stop hanging onto the wisps of hair; it would be a big release for him, mentally.
