Allow me to turn your attention to the royal family's recent tribute on Instagram. In honor of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester 's birthday, the royals shared a touching message and a slideshow to highlight his work and family history, including rare shots of his relatives. The caption reads, "Wishing The Duke of Gloucester a very happy 80th birthday today!"
Now, the first few slides are typical enough, detailing the prince's early life and relation to the queen. (FYI, Prince Richard is the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II ). But when I got to slide six, I couldn't help but pause, because I could've sworn I was looking at a vintage photo of the Prince of Wales.
In the sixth slide, Prince Richard is photographed with his late father, Prince Henry, as well as his older brother, Prince William of Gloucester (not Wales) and their mother, Princess Alice. As it turns out, I wasn't the only one who nearly mistook this version of Prince William for the modern-day Swiftie we all know and love.
One fan commented, "Omg on photo six, did anyone else think for a minute the man second from right was Prince William??" Another agreed and said, "Yes, at a quick glance it did. Wow."
In case you're curious to know how they're related, Prince William of Gloucester was the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, which makes him the Prince of Wales's first cousin twice removed. And as seen below, the pair have very similar facial features, from their nose to their matching smiles.
Per Newsweek , it's rumored that King Charles chose his firstborn's name as a tribute to the late Prince William of Gloucester. In 1972, he died in a plane crash at 30 years old. In that year, Prince Richard became his father's sole heir, and in 1974, he inherited his father's dukedom of Gloucester.
Always fascinating to see proof of the British royal family's strong genes.
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