Royal Children Who Look Just Like Their Relatives

Just the word "royal" alone elicits images of crowns, castles, lavish parties, and — of course — drama. While many of us are up to date with the current batch of royal family members and the tensions between them, some may not know that royal drama dates back generations. Take Queen Elizabeth II, for example. In her childhood and early adult life, the young princess never thought that she would take the throne, as her father's older brother, King Edward VIII, was the ruling monarch. But after Edward abdicated in order to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson, Elizabeth's father — King George VI — assumed the royal responsibilities. Thus, the young Princess Elizabeth went from a comfortable distance from the crown to the direct heir to the throne, thanks to one decision.

As such, royal drama and the weight of responsibility has fallen on the shoulders of ruler after ruler. Elizabeth's sister, Princess Margaret never married the man she loved due to the crown's rules about divorce and infidelity. King Charles III wasn't permitted to marry the woman he loved due to royal expectations, roping the young Diana Spencer into a miserable marriage and subsequent divorce. Royal drama, generation after generation, seems to unite the family — as do looks. As it turns out, there are some royals who are the spitting images of their ancestors, and we've done some digging to find the royal children (or former children, we should say) who look just like their relatives.

For this royal comparison, we're having to go all the way back to 1897 and the reign of Queen Victoria. As noted by British Heritage, Mary, Princess Royal, was born to King George V and Queen Mary just three years shy of the 1900 century turn, and was the third child born to the pair. Her brothers — Edward (who would abdicate in 1936, as aforementioned), and Albert — were ahead of her in the royal line of succession, but that didn't stop her from making her own royal mark. Mary, as it turns out, was very fashion forward and when she married the Viscount Lascelles in 1922, Vogue was there to cover the wedding: the first for any royal. The princess's strong brow line, angular nose, and soft jaw line were prominent throughout her life, and Princess Anne's daughter, Zara Tindall, looks like her doppelgänger.

Zara, of course, is the daughter of the now-Princess Royal (a little parallel there; we love it) and her first husband, Mark Phillips, BritRoyals notes. Born in 1981, Zara is a few generations removed from Mary, Princess Royal, but their prominent features — including the same sharp nose and piercing eyes — are clearly aligned. While Mary was known for her elegant ways and Vogue-level wedding, Zara is known for her thriving equestrian career and her representation of Great Britain on the Olympic level. Clearly, these two royals share more than just looks.

While Queen Elizabeth II became synonymous with her vibrant outfits and signature black handbag, the late monarch was a fashion icon in her own right. During her early years on the throne, Elizabeth navigated her life as a reigning royal with a gentle elegance that is hard to come by, setting the fashion standards for years to come. Her image was "smart," Philip Mansel, a writer and fellow at London's Institute of Historical Research, told The Washington Post. "[It was] clean-cut, which I think was a very 1950s thing, really. Not much fuss," he said. Only Elizabeth's soft features, cupid's bow lips, and dazzling eyes outshined her royal dress.

As for ancestral looks, however, Queen Elizabeth II has been often compared to Mary of Teck, queen consort of King George V and the mother of King Edward VIII (abdication one, we want to keep this as clear as we can for you), and King George VI (Elizabeth's father). As noted by Britannica, Mary of Teck was known for her "intellect" and "artistic taste," and she and Elizabeth share equally piercing facial features. Namely, a young Queen Elizabeth resembles her grandmother, Mary of Teck, around the nose and eyes specifically, displaying that familial genes were strong on the queen consort's side. Mary of Teck, sadly, never saw her granddaughter become queen, dying just three months before Elizabeth ascended the throne.

There are a few royal ancestors who are channeled by their distant family members today, and we'll get to Prince William's striking resemblance of his late mother, Diana Spencer, later. But in the meantime, we want to turn your attention to King Edward I, the 14th-century ruler of Great Britain. We have to go all the way back to 1239 for this one, as Edward was born to Henry III. Ascending to the throne in 1272, as noted by Britannica, Edward was known for strengthening Britain's Parliament and destroying Wales's independence once and for all. While he attempted to do the same thing to Scotland, the country remained strong in its autonomy.

As for the Prince of Wales, Prince William, he shares many features with the 14-century king. Starting at the brow bone, both William and Edward show deep-set eyes and an aristocratic nose. Sharing similarly shaped lips, the Prince of Wales and the ancient king are shown to have near-identical smiles (or scowls, in Edward's case) and even correspond in hair and skin coloring. Throw in a photo of William sporting facial hair — of which he doesn't do often — and you have a nearly perfect side-by-side example of this royal bloodline.

For those of the younger generation of royal watchers, the Queen Mother might not be as well known a figure. But to those who have been following the royal ins and outs for decades, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was a beloved icon whose death — even at the advanced age of 101 — still rocked the royal foundation. When Queen Elizabeth II's father, King George VI, died in 1952, the young princess became queen and her mother, subsequently, was then-on known as the queen mother. Generations of royals later, and the Queen Mother has a royal doppelgänger who keeps her memory alive in more ways than one.

Princess Eugenie, the youngest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, is the spitting image of her great-grandmother, sharing a number of the Queen Mother's features. In fact, Hello! Magazine noted that the two share the same "oval shaped eyes" and "moon-shaped face." The two royals also resemble each other when comparing both their eyebrows and lips — needless to say, Eugenie is a walking, talking, breathing homage to her great-grandmother.

Making matters sweeter, Eugenie made a point of wearing a tiara that belonged to the Queen Mother when she married Jack Brooksbank. The headpiece — the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik in particular — was given to the Queen Mother by friend Dame Margaret Greville in 1919. After the beloved royal elder passed away in 2002, Queen Elizabeth inherited the tiara.

Queen Elizabeth II's grandchildren had quite the age range when she passed. The eldest, Peter Phillips, was 44 at the time the monarch died, whereas the youngest, James, Viscount Severn, was only 14. That 30 year age gap includes royal stars Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as Prince Andrew's two daughters, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice. Of course, the list would not be complete without Zara Tindall and Lady Louise Windsor, the latter of which is said to be the spitting image of her late grandmother.

Louise and the late Queen Elizabeth II shared a very close relationship, Express notes. Not only did the queen and Louise share a love of horses and all things equestrian related, but the monarch appreciated Louise's temperament and dedication. "[Louise] is level-headed, thoughtful and kind, and reminds the queen of herself as a young woman," an inside source told Express of the grandmother/granddaughter pairing. "They are thick as thieves and can often be found riding their ponies alone together, where the queen enjoys imparting a lot of wisdom on her granddaughter."

That close bond is seen — quite literally — in the shared facial features Louise and Queen Elizabeth both have. The soft gaze, rose-like cheeks, and delicate brow bones are just some of the qualities they share.

Some of us may not know what image to conjure when we think of Queen Victoria — the name itself elicits a sense of royal pride and immense power, as the 19th century ruler sat on the throne for an impressive 63 years. But as far as looks are concerned, we have to strip back the fanciful jewels, frilly adornments, and dramatic headpieces to get a sense of what Victoria really looked like. Or, we could simply look at Princess Beatrice, who is a spitting image of her great-great-great-great-grandmother. According to Express, Beatrice — daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York — has been compared to Victoria on a number of occasions, as the two share similar features that mimic each other.

Let's start with the face shape: Victoria and Beatrice both share an oval-meets-heart shape facial structure and the same alabaster skin. Moving on to their most dazzling shared feature — the eyes — Victoria and Beatrice both have large, almost Disney princess-like eyes that demand attention. The same defined nose and similarly-shaped lips, it's clear that the modern princess is her 19th century relative (almost) brought back to life. And while Beatrice will likely never sit on the throne like Victoria did, the 21st century royal did get to play a small part in the 2009 film, "Young Victoria." Perhaps we'll see the historic monarch further honored in this way by Beatrice in the future.

We're getting into the nitty gritty of the royal family for this comparison. Prince Michael of Kent — who you may have never heard of before, which is fine — is King George V's grandchild and the late Queen Elizabeth II's cousin. While he's represented the royal family at public events and is considered an active member of the royal family, he obviously has a much lesser role than say Prince William or even the queen's youngest son, Prince Edward. Still, Prince Michael is royal through and through, which is of course evident if you look at photos of his late grandfather, King George V. As noted by MyLondon, Prince Michael and King George V are quite literally carbon copies of one another, proving that the royal bloodline — and George born more than 150 years ago — is still going strong.

There is, of course, the obvious comparison between them in terms of their facial hair, but the similarities between Michael and George extend much further than that. The identical oval face, steely eyes, deep set brows, and strong nose tie the grandfather and grandson together in an uncanny way. We even noticed similarities in the shape of their ears! MyLondon further noted that social media users have picked up on the prominent — and shared — qualities between these two, with one person commenting, "The similarities between Prince Michael and King George V are spooky!"

This surprise royal relative similarity might shock you, but as it turns out, Prince Harry looks a lot like a young Prince Philip — once you look at the photos, you can't unsee it. As it turns out, the late Duke of Edinburgh was a military man — serving in the Royal Navy — similarly to Harry and his service in the Royal Army. Both regularly seen in uniform (although the drama surrounding Harry's permission to wear his military regalia was ever-present during Queen Elizabeth II's funeral), Harry and his grandfather, Philip, looked dapper but rarely similar. That is until you see photos of Philip in his younger years — with a ginger-tinged beard, steely blue eyes, and a dazzling smile, Philip looks exactly like his grandson.

The particular photo in question that truly proves the similarities between the two was posted on Instagram by Chris Jackson, a royal photographer for Getty Images. Philip — then 36 years old in the photo — appeared on the front cover of Paris Match magazine, and we seriously had to do a double take. So did others on social media, and many took to the comments on Jackson's post to highlight the familial similarities. "No question about it! Prince Harry looks exactly like his grandfather Prince Philip!" one confident fan wrote, to another's, "My goodness [at] first look I thought it was Harry." So did we!

When it comes to royal family similarity, King Charles III and his great-great-grandfather, King Edward VII, are alike in more ways than one. Before we get to their almost-identical looks, rather, we should really compare just how much their royal experiences have mirrored each other's. As noted by History and Policy, Edward was Queen Victoria's oldest son and — naturally — the direct heir to the British throne. 

Edward also waited decades to take control of the monarchy, as Victoria had an impressive reign of 63 years. By the time he finally took the throne at 59 years old, he had garnered a reputation as a "playboy" who indulged in parties and entertainment. Not only that, but Edward's mother made it rather difficult for him to assume the throne. History and Policy notes that Victoria blamed Edward for her husband's death, and as such severely limited her son's access to royal documents and proceedings. Charles and his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, didn't share as much of a tumultuous relationship, but the now-king certainly garnered a similar reputation as his great-great-grandfather. Tied to an extramarital scandal — and waiting longer than anyone in history to assume the crown — Charles has yet to win over the entire British public.

With all of that said, we can now look at Charles and Edward's shared looks. From the piercing eyes to the face shape, these two are peas in a pod.

When we think of King George VI, a wave of sadness hits. George VI was king from 1936 until his untimely death in 1952 at the young age of 56. Not only was his life cut short, but the king — born Prince Albert of York — never expected to sit on the throne. It was only after his older brother, King Edward VIII, abdicated in order to marry Wallis Simpson that George faced the crown, handing the monarchal bloodline to his eldest daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. it's true — Elizabeth never expected she'd be queen as a young woman, nor that her children (and her children's children) would assume such drastic royal responsibilities. Yet the late queen became the longest ruling monarch in British history, and her children have kept her memory alive in the time following her passing.

Of course, it's no surprise that Elizabeth's children show physical similarities to their ancestors, but Prince Edward's resemblance of the late king, King George VI, is startling. As noted by Express, the two share a number of characteristics, requiring us to do a double take when looking at photographs of them — individually, of course — side by side. Starting with the most obvious indications, both Edward and George share a similar face shape — oblong, with a squared-off jaw. They have corresponding eyebrows, noses, smiles, and even share very similar ears — a royal trademark.

Of course, a list of royal resemblance wouldn't be complete without Diana Spencer, and no royal clearly embodies her more than Prince William, Prince of Wales. Diana's eldest son and now direct heir to the British throne, William shares his mother's skin and hair coloring, her blue eyes, and radiant smile. While the angular nature of his face has softened with time, a young Prince William looked so much like his late mother that it was difficult not to get emotional — he was only 15 years old when Diana died, and something about his uncanny resemblance to her makes us choke up a little to this day.

Of course, William and his younger brother, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, have done everything they can to keep their mother's spirit alive. On what would've been her 60th birthday, the brothers — separated by an ocean and a rift the size of the Grand Canyon — reunited to honor her memory, unveiling a statue of her on Kensington Palace grounds.

"Today, on what would have been our mother's 60th birthday, we remember her love, strength and character — qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better," the brothers said, per the BBC. "Every day, we wish she were still with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy."

This royal look alike is particularly heartwarming given the loss of Queen Elizabeth II, but Prince William's second child and only daughter, Princess Charlotte of Wales, is the spitting image of her great-grandmother. Such similarities had been spotted in pictures of a very little Charlotte, but many royal fans have increasingly seen similarities between Charlotte and the late queen as the little princess has gotten older.

In a post made to the royal family's Twitter to celebrate Charlotte's birthday in 2021, royal watchers were quick to point out that the young royal looked just like Elizabeth — from their face shape to the classic royal nose to their eye shape, Charlotte and Elizabeth could be twins.

"Like Great-Grand-Mama to Great-Grand-Daughter Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, look how similar," one person wrote on Twitter under the birthday post. "Spitting image of the queen!!" wrote another. And a third: "Wow. She really has the facial features of her great grandma. Lovely."

Beyond looks, Charlotte's relationship with the late queen was a rather special one, and it perhaps wasn't on display more than during the monarch's funeral. The young Charlotte was visibly upset during her great-grandmother's service, and her mother Catherine, Princess of Wales, took a moment to comfort her middle child upon bursting into tears. Clearly, Charlotte and Elizabeth shared more than just facial features.