Bad news for all you beard lovers. Prince Harry has been ordered to shave off his ginger whiskers by no higher authority than the Queen herself.

However the Prince was allowed to keep his whiskers over Christmas by the Queen so that his girlfriend Cressida Bonas would get to see them.

Harry and Cressida are currently on a skiing holiday after having spent the new year apart with Harry being with friends in England while Cressida was at Richard Branson's Necker island Caribbean hideaway.

Although it is not written in their contracts, the Queen's staff are strongly advised not to grow facial hair because the Queen believes it looks scruffy and inappropriate at work.

According to a report in the Sunday Express by royal writer Phil Dampier, the Queen "soon let her displeasure be known" with Harry's rugged new look and reportedly thinks it is difficult to enforce the no-beards rule when her own grandson has grown one.

The Express reports that Harry's cousin Zara has dubbed him "Prince Hairy" according to a royal insider quoted by the Express.

Harry had better come back with a clean chin or else granny will not be pleased.