<P> In the original tale, the Beast is seen to be kind - hearted for the most part, and gentleman - like, with only an occasional tendency to be hot - tempered . Disney's interpretation of the Beast made him more constantly angry and depressed, due to the shame from his unkind actions which led to his transformation, and particularly his struggle of reconciling his hideous appearance with his inner humanity which made him feel hopeless about breaking the curse . Supervising animator Glen Keane describes The Beast as "a twenty - one - year - old guy who's insecure, wants to be loved, wants to love, but has this ugly exterior and has to overcome this ." Upon his reform under his love interest Belle, his personality changes to refined and more even - tempered, while naive about the world at the same time . </P> <P> To reflect his early personality, the Beast is seen shirtless, with ragged, dark gray breeches, and a ragged reddish - colored cape with a golden colored circular - shaped clasp . Despite the actual color of his cape being a dark reddish color, the Beast's cape is more often referenced to be purple (and in most of the Beast's subsequent appearances after the film, such as Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas or the Kingdom Hearts games, his cape is colored purple). The reason for this change in color is unknown, although the most likely reason is that the color purple is often associated with royalty . After the Beast saves Belle from a pack of wolves, his dress - style changes to become more formal and disciplined, reflecting a more refined personality as he attempts to win Belle's friendship and love . His most referenced form of dress is his ballroom outfit, which consisted of a golden vest over a white dress shirt with a white kerchief, black dress pants trimmed with gold, and a royal blue ballroom tail coat trimmed with gold, worn during the film's ballroom dance sequence . </P> <P> The blue tail coat outfit is retained after he was restored back to human, which is meant to be a stark contrast to the royal regalia and armor he was depicted in before his curse . His human form is that of a tall and slender young man with auburn hair and soft cream colored skin while also retaining his bright blue eyes . As human he is simply known as the "Prince", as supervising animator Glen Keane stated that everyone on the production was too busy to give him an alternative name, however some licensed works such as the trivia video game The D Show (1998) have named him "Prince Adam". Disney has come to embrace the name, as seen in multiple pieces of merchandise as well as a plaque hung up in 2012 (and still hangs there as of 2017) in Walt Disney World's Port Orleans Riverside Royal Rooms that clearly states his name as "Prince Adam ." </P> <P> A handsome young prince lives in a luxurious castle in France . He has everything he ever wanted, and as a result, he is spoiled, selfish and unkind . One night, his kindness is put to the test when a beggar woman comes to the castle and asks for shelter from the freezing cold, with a single rose as payment . When he shuns the beggar for her repulsive appearance, she then reveals her true form as a beautiful enchantress . Seeing her beauty and realizing her power, the Prince tries to apologize but she transforms him into a terrifying beast - like creature for his arrogance . She also casts a spell on the entire castle, transforming it into a dark, foreboding place, its lush green grounds into dangerous immortal wolf - infested woods, and the good - natured servants into anthropomorphic household objects to reflect their different personalities . Ashamed of his new appearance, the Beast conceals himself inside his castle with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world, and an enchanted rose that would act as the curse's timer which would bloom until he turns 21 . If the Beast could learn to love a woman and earn her love in return before the final petal fell off the rose, the curse would be broken, but if not he would remain a beast forever . The Beast turns to despair as the years pass by, with little hope of achieving this . </P>

How old was the prince in beauty and the beast when he was cursed