A Christmas ornament of Prince William has fans arguing if it disrespected the royal or was being truthful in its representation of his image, especially with his bald spot and receding hairline.
If there’s one inheritance that the Prince of Wales would gladly reject, it’s probably the balding head. The 42-year-old has male pattern baldness from his family, and while he looks ruggedly handsome with the beard, you’d hope that some of that facial hair would also somehow materialize on his head.
Alas! That hasn’t been the case, and his crown just continues to keep shining (if you know what I mean). His bald spot is very obvious, so much so, that Cody Foster and Co., a vintage collectibles company in Nebraska, made sure to include it in the Christmas bauble it made of the future king.
The decor shows William in his Irish Guards uniform, which he usually wears during special events at Buckingham Palace. The figure also has a toothy grin in keeping with how the royal smiles in public when he’s truly happy. But in this ornament, his smile looks rather menacing.
British Katie Hiscock, who now lives in Tokyo, stumbled upon the decor in a store and shared a video of all its angles on TikTok. She jokingly wrote: “They did Prince William dirty with this Christmas decoration.”
Her video has since amassed over 1.5 million views and triggered a debate over whether the ornament gave a truthful representation of William’s face or was being disrespectful. While others pointed out that the figure captured his bald spot to a T, others thought it was very unflattering and didn’t capture his likeness at all.
One commented: “Did they do him dirty, or did they do him accurate?” another quipped: “How did they do him dirty when that’s literally how his head looks?” while a third shared: “I have mixed feelings. They could have left the bald spot out, but also, that’s what he looks like.” Meanwhile, one said: “Gone a bit harsh on William’s hair” and a second wrote: “The disrespect!”
Others thought the ornament was more like a caricature than a collectible. The collection also includes designs of Kate Middleton, King Charles III, and Queen Camilla. The sovereign’s decoration sees him in his white and purple Coronation robes and with his Coronation crown adorned with diamonds and rubies. Camilla’s ornament is also wearing a Bruce Oldfield couture gown with Queen Mary’s Crown, modeled after her Coronation ensembles.
Kate’s Christmas ornament is in a Jenny Packham gem embellished white dress, a Royal Family Order sash, and the hair in an up-do to highlight the Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara. It’s modeled after her appearance during Charles’ first State Banquet in November 2022.
Despite the mixed reactions, you have to hand it to the company for the meticulous details included in each ornament. William’s Christmas ornament has accents of gold in the uniform that shimmer under the glow of Christmas lights, while the uniform comes with medals and insignia.