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The Prince Albert piercing may have been practiced in European culture for some time, and while there are many tentative theories as to its origin, the true origin of this piercing is unknown. Many theories suggest that the piercing was used to secure the penis in some manner, rather than having a sexual or cultural purpose.[2]
In modern times, the Prince Albert piercing was popularized by Jim Ward in the early 1970s.[3] In West Hollywood (a gay village of Los Angeles), Ward met Doug Malloy and Fakir Musafar. Together, these men further developed the Prince Albert piercing. Perhaps more fatefully, Malloy published a pamphlet[4] in which he concocted fanciful histories of genital piercings in particular. These ersatz tales—which included the notion that Prince Albert invented the piercing that shares his name in order to tame the appearance of his large penis in tight trousers—are widely circulated as urban legend. No historical proof of their veracity has been located independent of Malloy's assertions.