‘It will have a positive effect’

This week Prince William did what many men do every week in every corner of the globe when he admitted defeat in his losing battle with his barnet.

Did he give up too easily? Should he have given the hair-saving drug Propecia a go? A drug that designer

Tom Ford once admitted was responsible for a newly thick thatch which was once barren.

Or should he have followed in the footsteps of Robbie Williams or our own Jimmy Nesbitt with a full-on transplant, which would be confidence-building and upfront, a true “crowning glory” of a mane. And, of course, if that was an all too public intervention he could always have fallen back on the classic Elton John wig.

There are many options available and as money is no obstacle, what was to stop the second-in-line to the throne having the hair he wanted or deserved?

Well, there are a number of reasons but let’s start with the most likely. Perhaps he just wasn’t that bothered. William may not care enough to consider anything other than the easy option. I mean, he’s obviously aware of the interest in his hair given the constant media scrutiny (and even some of the unkinder comments about the royal bonce) but he’s also smart enough to know that any attempt to try to salvage his hair cosmetically would have resulted in a reaction that would most likely be negative — especially if it looked like Wayne Rooney’s disastrous transplant.

Instead William has taken the definitive step by reaching for the clippers — a very expensive £180 buzz cut, according to newspaper reports. It’s a brave decision, strong and decisive, and it speaks volumes about the man, a no-nonsense approach that shows that his image is not that important, that he accepts the cards he’s been dealt and like his grandfather and father before him, he’s genetically predisposed to male pattern baldness prematurely.

In a lot of ways William is very lucky — we already know that being bald will not affect his life, his career, his relationship; all of these concerns are already set in place. But the same cannot be said for every man who loses his hair. Many suffer from anxiety/confidence issues and it can stop them from forming a relationship or socialising.

The good news is that help is out there, from energising shampoos and lotions that can be bought in any good salon, like Alfaparf energising shampoo for hair loss, which when used alongside their energising lotion has amazing results.

There is also the aforementioned oral drug Propecia, a controversial choice since it has some side-effects but also delivers incredible restorative results. And then there is the organic hair growth miracle drug Viviscal which has become a big hit with celebrities.

All of that is the easy stuff. The journey down the transplant route is as varied and wide-ranging as hair itself but you only have to look at the success of hair transplant devotees like Robbie and Jimmy to see how far they’ve come on — and they are the ones we know about. There are many celebs who we will never be sure as to whether they’ve had something done but who suddenly look like they have a lot more hair than they used to.

There is a cure for baldness, of that there is no doubt. For many it’s a lifeline, a chance to hold on to that one thing that can define age and status but for others the option is much more simple: just take it all off.

Do I think William suits this haircut? Or is it too severe? And why so short? In truth over time I think we will get used to William’s skinhead, just like we got used to the Queen having grey hair or Prince Philip making inappropriate remarks. Ultimately, I think it will have a positive effect on many other men who may decide that William’s ballsy attitude to what is a major cause of concern may just inspire them to do likewise, and that can only be a good thing.