There were well-sourced reports at the weekend that Prince Harry has been seeking treatment for his hair loss.
We suspect that these reports are true (there has been no official comment from the Palace) because the 35-year-old royal is now experiencing the kind of aggressive hair loss his brother William went through in his 20s.
If Harry does not address this issue now he will be as bald as his big brother, father and grandfather in the next 10 years.
We are getting to the crux of the problem in that last sentence: the aggressive Windsor family baldness gene.
Crown Clinic’s consultant hair transplant surgeon Asim Shahmalak was asked by the media to project how Prince Harry’s hair loss will progress if he doesn’t take action. You can see the image we created with the help of a graphic artist at the bottom of this page.
Harry is to be congratulated for seeking treatment and not leaving it too late like his big brother.
Harry’s bald patch had doubled in size in the last two years and his hair loss is accelerating fast.
Dr Shahmalak said: “”Harry’s baldness was slower to take off but now he is catching up his brother fast, particularly in the crown area. He bald patch has doubled in size in the last two years and sadly his baldness is accelerating fast.
“He is losing his hair at the same sort of rate that Prince William lost his in his 20s.
“The baldness gene in the Windsor family is extremely aggressive.
“It started with Prince Philip and has now been passed down to Prince Charles and on to his sons Prince William and Prince Harry. Let’s hope baby Archie doesn’t get it, too!
“William got it first and has the strongest baldness gene of all the royals – he was losing a lot of his hair in his early 20s.
“Around 30% of men have experienced some form of hair loss by Harry’s age – so his case is not unusual, particularly when you have a baldness gene running in the family.”
Dr Shahmalak, whose celebrity clients include Coronation Street star Jack P Shepherd, model Calum Best and TV doctor Christian Jessen, believes that Prince Harry could have come under pressure from wife Meghan to treat his hair loss.
He said: “She was a Hollywood actress in her former career so she knows very well the value of looking good.
“A lot of my clients come due to subtle pressure applied by their partners who would rather not be dating a bald man.”
Dr Shahmalak said that Prince Harry could tackle his baldness now by having a hair transplant.
He said: “There is still time for Harry to combat the problem and restore his lost hair. He could have a FUE (follicular unit extraction) hair transplant like my clients Jack P Shepherd and Calum Best.
“Hairs are extracted individually from the back and sides of the scalp and replanted in the balding areas on the top.
“With 1,500 grafts, which amounts to around 3,000 individual hairs, he could fill in his bald patches.
“He needs to act now before it is too late. Prince William could not be helped – he would not have enough donor hair to cover his bald patches.”
Dr Shahmalak said that Prince Harry could also slow down or even halt his hair loss by taking a clinically-proven drug such as Finasteride, though one of the side effects is a lower libido!
Dr Shahmalak said: “Finasteride, also known as Propecia, could slow down or even stop Harry’s hair loss.
“A lot of men take in combination with a hair transplant. It won’t grow him any new hair but it is clinically proven to treat hair loss and is effective.
“A very small number of patients experience symptoms such as loss of libido and the growth of man boobs. These might put Harry off but they soon go away when you stop taking the drug.”