Prince William and Prince Harry Were Constantly Dressed Identically as Boys for the Most Heartbreaking Reason
Prince William and Prince Harry Were Constantly Dressed Identically as Boys for the Most Heartbreaking Reason
Rachel BurchfieldWed, November 11, 2026 at 6:57 PM UTC
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Prince Harry and Prince William on October 23, 1991.Credit: GettyThe Gist -
When they were boys, Prince William and Prince Harry were almost always dressed alike.
Their mother, Princess Diana, chose to dress them identically to combat the pervasive “heir and spare” dynamic that persists up to the present day between the two brothers.
It was a visual reminder that “there was no difference between the two—even though everyone around her showed preferential treatment toward the eldest son, the future heir to the throne,” Vanity Fair reported.
If you look at old photos of Prince William and Prince Harry when they were boys, the brothers were nearly always dressed alike. That is thanks to their mother, Princess Diana—who intentionally chose to dress her boys identically for a very touching reason (even though the brothers hated it).
Prince William, Princess Diana, and Prince Harry at the Aberdeen airport.Credit: Getty
As Vanity Fair put it, “there was much more to Diana’s choice than mere stylistic whim.” William, of course, was born to be king and is the heir to the throne; Harry, as he said himself, was referred to as the “spare” from a young age. It’s become pretty obvious over the years how pervasive the dreaded “heir and spare” dynamic was in the brothers’ relationship—so invasive that Harry even named his 2023 memoir Spare as a nod to always feeling less than.
Prince Harry, Prince Charles, Prince William, and Princess Diana on July 14, 1986.Credit: Getty
While Diana couldn’t change their birth order or the constructs inside of the royal family, she could use fashion to help visually equalize her sons. According to her former butler Paul Burrell, Diana chose to dress William and Harry identically to drive home the idea that, to her, “there was no difference between the two—even though everyone around her showed preferential treatment toward the eldest son, the future heir to the throne,” according to Vanity Fair. The decision for her boys to match was “to convey a sense of unity and equality in their appearance,” the outlet added.
“The boys hated that, by the way,” Burrell told Marie Claire. “They didn’t want to be dressed the same.”
Prince William and Prince Harry in Majorca on August 13, 1988.Credit: Getty
Harry said as much himself in the 2017 documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, released to mark 20 years since the princess’s tragic death in a Paris car crash on August 31, 1997.
“I genuinely think she got satisfaction out of dressing myself and William up in the most bizarre outfits—normally matching,” Harry said, smiling. “It was weird shorts and little shiny shoes with the old clip-on.”
Prince William, Princess Diana, and Prince Harry in July 1988.Credit: Getty
Indeed, Diana dressed the two alike for occasions formal and informal. “Looking back at the photos, it just makes me laugh, and I think, ‘How could you do that to us?’” Harry continued.
“Funnily enough, we got to the age when William would turn ‘round and go, ‘Oh, this is ridiculous. You know, I’m the older brother. Why do I have to be dressed the same as him?’” Harry said. “Hang on a second. If you’re going to dress differently, I’m not going to be the only person dressed like this. This is just ridiculous!”
Prince William, Princess Diana, and Prince Harry in April 1990.Credit: Getty
Eventually, the brothers grew apart—sartorially, then emotionally, and, at times, geographically. William and Harry aren’t thought to have spoken to one another in more than four years, since their grandmother Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022. Even though Harry and his family now live back in the U.K. as of August, there seems to be little sign of the frost melting.
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According to Diana’s biographer Andrew Morton, it likely wouldn’t have ended up like this had Diana lived. “We all remember the days when Harry and William were joshing with one another, and it all seemed set for their relationship and the future—that Harry, as Diana always used to say, would be William’s wingman,” he told People. “It’s a great loss for the monarchy.”
Prince William and Prince Harry on May 20, 2017.Credit: Getty
“Diana always used to say she had two boys for a reason—the younger would be there to support the older in the lonely task as future king,” he added. “There is no doubt Diana would have tried to act as a peacemaker between them. If she had been around, they would have worked things out in a different way.”
A source close to the royal household added, “This is the sadness of it—they aren’t supporting each other like they should be. That’s what any mother would want—that they are there for each other.”
In the documentary The Palace: What the Royal Servants Saw, Burrell shared an anecdote that summed up how the brothers were treated—not necessarily by their parents, but by those around them. “I heard one of the nannies say to William, ‘I’m going to give you three sausages, William,’” Burrell said. “‘You need to grow big and strong, because you’re going to be king one day.’”
“Poor Harry’s face across the table,” he continued. “I looked at him [and knew he was thinking], ‘Why did you get three sausages and I got two?’”
Prince Harry, Princess Diana, and Prince William on July 25, 1988.Credit: Getty
He added, “There’s a point in this sibling rivalry. It happens in every family—the older boys call precedence over the younger one—but it just so happened William was the heir and Harry was the spare.” William and Harry “were always treated equally by Diana and by [King] Charles, but some others forgot and thought William was the more important.”
Burrell worked alongside Diana, William, and Harry for a decade up until her death at just 36 years old. “As the heir to the Windsor dynasty, William was always accepted with preferential treatment, much to Diana’s disappointment,” Burrell explained. “Diana did not approve of that, and if she found staff doing that, she was furious.”
“Diana would alway say, ‘Both my boys are equal, and they are to be treated as such,’” Burrell said. “But that didn’t happen.”
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