Must be in anticipation of making Prince Harry an Honorary Air Commodore of somewhere........
......... although Prince Michael wears a beard in his RAF uniform ......
..... and "no shaving" chits might not be all they're cracked up to be. Many years ago I returned from a long exped (OK - camping in the sun!) with quite a respectable beard (NB oxymoron!). My neighbour was the MO whose rection was:
"Cracking beard Teeters! ..... Do you want a chit to keep it??"