Prince William's Hairy Situation

King Edward VII enjoyed a good meal and was called 'tum tum'. Prince Charles has his ears. Diana had her nose - when anyone decided to notice. Now Prince William has his hair - computer generated on the cover of Hello! in this case.

It's not secret that William has a bald spot, like his father. Royal reporters, with nothing better to report on other than his relationship with Kate and his resemblance to his mother, will pick on the regal thinning bean. It's a good way to take the royal golden boy down a notch. Until his early twenties, William had everything going for him. The standard bearer for Diana's memory, he could do no wrong.

And then he had the nerve to get older.

As a child he bore a striking resemblance to his maternal grandfather - Earl Spencer - and like his brother, as he gets older he becomes less Windsor and more Spencer. Not necessarily a bad thing. With the exception of Prince Philip, the royals do not age well. Case in point - Look at a picture of Prince 'Randy Andy' Andrew in his heyday and one taken now. I rest my case.

But in this day and age anything can be changed with the click of a button. Size 0 models can be made to look even thinner, Joan Collins can be made to look like she's 40 something (she's 77), William can be given a full head of hair. Could Tiger Wood's reputation be next? If not, he could be made to look better trying to salvage it.

Like the rest of us mere mortals, William obviously has a vain-streak. It's only natural, as a public figure, to want to appear in the best light. If he wants his hair electronically enhanced then I say go for it! However, if he wanted all of us to ignore the issue then he's gone about it the wrong way. Like a mole on someone's face. When they try to hide it then you notice it more.

Maybe William could try to make amends to all of those men who get toupees and hair transplants. Start a charity? Become a patron of a pre-existing one? Camp out at a hair salon amongst over priced products to highlight the issue? Lamblast Hello! like Kate Winslet did a few years ago when the UK edition of GQ shaved a few inches off her waist?

If this is supposed to be the 'real' Prince William, maybe it's time for him to stand up and embrace reality. Or maybe it's time for the media to give it a rest.

© Marilyn Braun 2010