Prince Harry Looks Like Carbon Copy Of Young Prince Charles

Dec 07, 2020 by apost team

While most men in the Royal family like Prince Philip and Prince William opt for a clean-shaven look nowadays, Prince Harry's ginger beard has become something of a trademark. But in some rarely-seen photos of a young Prince Charles in 1976 in which the future-King is sporting a full-on beard, one can't help but notice the resemblance to his son, Prince Harry. 

The Duke of Sussex first began sporting his signature beard in 2013, sending tabloids into a frenzy after photos of his new look were published during his trek to the South Pole. His new look came as a welcome change for Royal fans, but his grandmother, on the other hand, wasn't too pleased with it. According to the Sunday Express, Queen Elizabeth has a strict rule of having all Royal Staff in the palace clean-shaven as she generally is not a fan of facial hair. While Royals are allowed to grow a beard if they choose to when away in the Armed Forces or on expeditions, she expects them to shave it off once they return to the palace. 

Prince Harry cheekily kept his beard for a few more weeks after returning from his trip and was spotted with his new look that same year at the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham. Although it was never confirmed by any senior Royals that the Queen forbade Prince Harry from keeping his beard, that Christmas would be the last Royal fans would get to see of his ginger scruffs for a long time.

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However, that was until 18 months later, when Prince Harry's rugged beard made a comeback. According to US Magazine, while touring Africa in the summer of 2015, the Duke was photographed sporting the scruff once again during a visit to the African Conservation Experience's Khulula Care for Wild. While many expected him to shave it off upon his return to the UK, Prince Harry has been rocking his rugged, bearded look ever since. 

There was a time when fans were concerned that he would be forced to shave it off for his wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018. According to Metro, there had been much speculation on social media at the time that Prince Harry would be going bare-faced for his big day, given that he would be wearing his Army Uniform. Typically, men are expected to be clean-shaven when in uniform, but it wasn't clear if this rule still applied to the Prince as he ended his service in 2015. 

Buckingham Palace released a statement soon thereafter, clarifying that "her Majesty The Queen gave her permission for Prince Harry to get married in his uniform." According to Metro, the statement is understood to have covered Prince Harry's beard as well. 

Even though he's only been sporting the beard for a relatively short time, it's hard to imagine Prince Harry without it. What many Royal fans might have forgotten, however, is that other Senior Royal men have also worked a scruffy look in the past—albeit for just short phases.

Not long ago, social media went wild about the stunning resemblance between Harry and his grandfather, Prince Philip, when an old French magazine surfaced that featured a younger version of Philip wearing a beard back then. The photo was shared by Royal photographer Chris Jackson on his Instagram and featured a young Prince Philip on the cover of a 1957 issue of Paris Match. 

In another photo shared by the Royal Family's social media accounts in 2018, Royal fans also got to see how much Prince Harry resembles his dad, Prince Charles, in a beard too. According to the Express, the photos showed a 27-year-old Prince Charles sporting a rarely-seen dark brown beard as he attended the Badminton Horse Trials in May 1976. Looking at the pictures, the resemblance between the father and son is astonishing. Many fans quickly flocked to the comments to write about how much the two looked like each other: 

"Happy Birthday, HRH Prince Charles! The picture with your beard looks exactly how Prince Harry looks today (except for the red hair)—wow! Such a handsome resemblance between you and your sons!" tweeted one Royal fan. 

"That photo of Prince Charles with a beard looks a lot like nowadays Prince Harry," wrote another.

Certainly, it's not odd for a child to strongly take after their parent, but these photos of Prince Charles and Prince Harry really do show that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Since both of their looks strongly resemble Prince Charles' father and Prince Harry's grandfather, Prince Philip, it proves this point further.

Prince Charles was born on November 14, 1948—the eldest of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's children and also heir to the throne. Elizabeth, then just a princess, had met Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark and the two got married on November 20, 1947, in Westminster Abbey. Charles was born the following year, almost a year to the date of their first wedding anniversary. The Queen and Prince Philip have four children in total—Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.

Only a few years later, Queen Elizabeth's father King George VI died in February 1952, making Elizabeth the monarch. She was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth at just 26-years-old on June 2, 1953.

Despite being the eldest child, it's become apparent over the years that Prince Charles and his father Prince Philip don't always see eye to eye. Express reported that Prince Philip once said:

“Charles is a romantic—and I’m a pragmatist. That means we do see things differently. And because I don’t see things as a romantic would, I’m unfeeling.”

The same article states that in 1994 Prince Charles had revealed to his authorized biographer Jonathon Dimbleby that he at times felt "emotionally estranged" from his parents and that they were "unable or unwilling to offer" the affection he had desired from them. While they always appear courteous and friendly in public appearances together, it's hard to really know the full dynamics of the Royal family behind closed doors.

But they're not the only father-son pair that have their differences—apparently, Prince Charles and Prince Harry also don't always see eye to eye. Born to Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana on September 15, 1984, Prince Harry was the couple's second child and son, arriving after his elder brother Prince William. Growing up, the two brothers were often compared in the media, but that also extended to their own family. Furthermore, the two brothers' relationship with their father Prince Charles wasn't always easy.

According to Express, Finding Freedom—the unofficial biography that tells of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's move away from the Royal family—said that Prince Harry and Prince William's relationship with Prince Charles "blows hot and cold." The publication further states that in Finding Freedom, the authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand write:

"Prince Charles, who funds many of his own public, charitable and private activities through the revenues of his private estate, the Duchy of Cornwall ‘controlled the purse strings’ which also caused some issues between William and Harry."

The biography goes on to reveal that: 

"The brothers sometimes had to vie for additional funds for projects from their father, who also helped cover expenses related to Camilla and some of those for his sons (including Kate and Meghan’s wardrobes)."

An aide who had been involved in funding meetings stated in the same article that Prince Charles is not only their dad but "he's also their boss," which only complicates their relationship. Additionally, the issue of hierarchy comes into play, as Prince Harry is the second-born son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, while his older brother Prince William—who is expected to be the future king—has preference over him. The aide stated:

“When you are born in this family dictates your position of power, and because of that, Harry has always come second to his brother, especially when it comes to funding."

Who knew that over the many years of comparing the two brothers in the press, the Royal family was doing the same. It gives even more clarity to the possible reasons why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle unexpectedly decided to exit from their official positions in the Royal family. On top of that, their decision to leave is unlikely to make their relationship any better in the long run.

Prince Harry now has a son of his own, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, and it's more than likely that he'll also inherit his father's looks, just as Harry did from his own father and grandfather. However, let's hope that the strained paternal relationship that has plagued some of the men in the Royal family is not something that is passed on to Archie. But knowing the choices that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have made in the last few years in order to live a free life away from public scrutiny and the rules of the Royal family, it seems likely that Prince Harry and Archie will break this cycle. 

Do you agree with fans that Prince Harry looks just like his dad with a beard? Did you know about the strained paternal relationships that run in the royal family? Let us know in the comments, and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family.