A rather strange debate is going on at the moment as to whether Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton because he is going bald.

The prince’s baldness was originally noticed in 1998 when it was commented upon in People Magazine. Ten year’s later, William even joked about. Since then, there has been a certain amount of speculation as to the sudden (so it seemed) marriage proposal; after all the relationship at one time wasn’t apparently going anywhere.

Fuelling this debate is a columnist for the New York Times who wrote: “Men may give themselves some leeway when it comes to putting on a few extra pounds and having wrinkles (two typical areas of concern among aging women hoping to attract a mate).

“But hair loss — both androgenic alopecia, often referred to as male-pattern baldness, and alopecia areata, which typically involves temporary and localized shedding — can be emotionally traumatic, especially for men in their 20s.”

Whether going bald was Prince William’s prime motivator for asking Kate Middleton to marry him, only he will know. As far as Kate is concerned, she doesn’t seem concerned at all.

But why should she? Going bald isn’t the end of the world, and she’ll get used to it.