Those royal genes definitely weren't messing around

The Family Resemblance Is Strong! Who Each of the Royal Kids Really Looks Like

Family resemblances can be crazy sometimes, and if you need proof, just check out the current crop of royal kids. That’s all we could think about when Prince George celebrated his 12th birthday on July 22. His parents, Prince William and Princess Kate, continued their tradition of posting portraits of their kids on social media on their big days, and let’s just say it’s clear the young prince wasn’t switched at birth. He’s definitely a full-blooded member of the house of Windsor, and in fact, everyone’s saying the same thing: He’s the spitting image of a certain royal family member.
And he’s not the only one. Charlotte, Louis and their royal cousins also look like little royal doppelgängers!
So who does each royal kid look like? Read on to find out—and have an adorable case of déjà vu.
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Who does Prince George look like?
Prince George looks like a carbon copy of his dad, Prince William, in the series of snaps and video his parents posted for his birthday. Taken by photographer Josh Shinner earlier this year, George is seen playing with siblings and wearing a white checked shirt and brown vest. And with his hair parted on the side and sporting some distinctive (and very familiar!) cowlicks, plus soulful brown eyes and broad smile, George looks just like his father—albeit, a slightly more brunette version of him—around the same age.
This isn’t the first time people have compared the two. It’s been going on pretty much since George was born. When 9-month-old George visited Australia with his parents in 2014, well-wishers would be forgiven for thinking they had traveled back in time to 1983; that’s when a nearly identical 9-month-old Prince William arrived on tour with Diana and Charles.
George’s outfits also often make that paternal connection even more apparent. Kate has played dress-up doppelgängers in the past, choosing the same clothes for George as Diana did for a young William, including a throwback red-shorts-and-shirt set that a 2-year-old George wore to Charlotte’s christening in 2015. It was almost identical to the outfit worn by 2-year-old Prince William when he visited newborn brother Harry in hospital in September 1984.
Who does Princess Charlotte look like?
With her beaming smile and love of the outdoors, royal watchers soon spotted the similarities between Princess Charlotte and the late Queen Elizabeth. And it’s not just that: A side-by-side comparison of the two around the same age shows similar eye and eyebrow shapes, nose structures and hair color. Charlotte, with her long, straight hair, is just the modern version of the vintage original!
Kate previously revealed that the two had a wonderful bond. In the 2016 documentary Elizabeth at 90: A Family Tribute, the Princess of Wales said the late queen was “thrilled” the family had welcomed a princess. “The queen was really thrilled that it was a little girl, and I think as soon as we came back here to Kensington, she was one of our first visitors here,” she said. “I think she’s very fond of Charlotte. She’s always watching what she’s up to.” And that’s often being in the great outdoors and surrounded by dogs and horses, just as her great-grandmother once was.
Unsurprisingly, Charlotte also takes after her adventurous, sporty and gorgeous mother when she was young, as pictures show. You could say she’s the perfect combo of two strong, amazing ladies!
Who does Prince Louis look like?
There’s no doubt which family cheeky Prince Louis comes from, as he was the double of big brother George when he was born in 2018, but he’s also giving us lookalike vibes for two of his uncles. Louis looks a lot like a young Prince Edward at the same age. But also, if we’re being honest, he also resembles Prince Andrew when he was a preteen. Let’s hope that’s where the similarities end, though!
What about Archie and Lilibet?
It’s a little trickier to compare Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, as their parents Harry and Meghan have, up to now, kept them out of the limelight. However, when Archie was snapped in South Africa when he was 4 months old, it was clear he looked just like his dad when Harry was a baby. That red hair and wide-eyed expression were unmistakable!
Harry reckons the Spencer gene he inherited from Diana is dominant: It’s responsible for Harry’s red hair, as well as his uncle Earl Spencer’s, and his kids’ hair, of course. “The Spencer gene is very, very strong. I actually really, genuinely thought at the beginning of my relationship [with Meghan] that should this go the distance and we have kids, there’s no way the ginger gene will stand up to my wife’s genes, but I was wrong,” he said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
As for the lovely Lilibet, when we finally saw a pic of her, we were in for a surprise—as she seems to be the spitting image of Princess Eugenie when she was a tot! In one photo of Harry’s cousin on the slopes of Switzerland in 1992, she looks remarkably similar to Lilibet in her first birthday portrait in 2022. Both also sported the same strawberry blonde hair.
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Sources:
- Instagram: “Prince and Princess of Wales”
- Elizabeth at 90: A Family Tribute
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: “Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex Talks #Spare with Stephen Colbert”