The prince had grown a beard and a moustache over a 10-day exercise in Barbados with the Navy's Special Boat Service. It is largely believed that the facial hair was an attempt for the royal to hide his identity for the mission.
The then-26-year-old appeared to be a fan of the new look and even sported the beard when he attended the royal's traditional Christmas Day church service in Sandringham that same year.
Although Prince Harry is now well-known for his trademark stubble, the prince opted for a clean shaven look in the Christmas time snaps while his older brother gave facial hair a spotlight.
It is believed that William shaved his face when he begun training as a pilot with the Royal Air Force.
The images have drawn comparisons to Will and his father Prince Charles who sported a beard when he was a young man.
Royal fans have now taken to Twitter in an attempt to convince the 36-year-old to regrow the facial hair. One fan tweeted, "Prince William should grow a beard FIGHT ME."
While another wrote, "I'm gonna need Prince William to shave his head and grow a beard."
This Christmas will mark a decade since Will rocked the handsome facial hair look.