.gif)
Prince William appeared on the cover of a celebrity magazine with what seemed to be an unusually dark and full head of hair.
Sky News reported the news today after recent shots during his visit to Australia exposed the heir to the throne's thinning locks.
The new picture led to speculation that he turned to hair dye to combat his growing forehead.
It was not clear whether the dark hair sported by the prince was down to a little cosmetic help, lighting or computer trickery.
But in several other photos published in Hello! magazine, the prince's traditional dark blonde locks were back on display.
The photos were taken by former drug addict Jeff Hubbard, who became the first member of the public to take an official portrait of Prince William.
Hubbard, who was homeless until recently, was astonished to be asked to work with the prince to raise funds for the charity Crisis, which supports single homeless people in the UK.
"I didn't sleep at all the night before and felt very worried about the immensity of the task," he said.
"When Prince William arrived, I sensed he was a little nervous too.
"I showed him the camera we were going to use and once the shoot started we chatted away. I completely forgot who he was.
"He is a very nice guy and incredibly natural, and that put me at my ease."
The prince is a keen supporter of homelessness charities and spent a night sleeping on the street last year to raise funds for Centrepoint.
Under the guidance of world-renowned photographer Rankin, the heir to the throne took a portrait of Hubbard and both sets of pictures were published side-by-side in the magazine spread.
"The diptych is a reminder of the way in which all of us, whatever path our lives have taken, are ultimately neighbours and share a common bond," the prince said.
"Jeff's experience of homelessness was an isolating and traumatic one, but now with the help of Crisis, his life has hope and purpose again."
A double portrait signed by both men was planned to be displayed at London’s historic Somerset House from March 10 as part of an exhibition before being auctioned to raise funds for Crisis.
The money from the sale of the photos to Hello! was also going to the charity.
