Every single person in the world has to go through the ups and downs of being a teenager, but few of us have to do it in public — or see pictures of our younger selves plastered across newspapers, magazines, or social media later on. But that's life for royals, whether they were born into the British royal family or marry into it.
It may be mortifying for the royals to see themselves at their most awkward, gangly, or weird stages in life. But for us, pictures of royals when they were ages 13 through 19 are a real treat. These images make these people who live in such a different world from ours instantly relatable, whether it's because they went through a weird hair phase, or had a mouth full of metal at one point in their lives. And truth be told, a lot of these vintage photos are just plain sweet, and not at all embarrassing.
For the royals, like Princes William and Harry, cameras have been a constant in their lives since the moment they emerged as newborns from the hospital in the arms of their mother, Princess Diana. They expect to be captured doing something totally normal and dorky at some point, especially as knobby-kneed teenagers.
Royal wives Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, however, really had no say in whether their teen pictures got out into the media. Prior to meeting their husbands, they were living lives unrestrained by royal rules or expectations of fame, but neither of them actually has had anything to be super embarrassed about. Their teen pics that have been made public by former classmates and others have been basically harmless — just a fun way for us to trace their future selves in their teen faces.
That's one of the best aspects of looking at these old pics, of course. We can see how Kate became such a fit and healthy adult because, as a kid, she was involved in every sport. We can see how the Queen's habits and hobbies started and have remained the same for decades, and how William's hairline receded through the years as well (hahaha).
Scroll on and enjoy these pictures of the royals in their younger years.
Teen Crush
If Prince William had an awkward teen moment, he must have hidden it well, because he looks adorable in pretty much all of his teen pictures — thanks to his good looks inherited from mom Princess Diana. This picture of him attending a Christmas Day service at Sandringham in 1998 was probably ripped out of thousands of teen magazines and taped to bedroom walls. Dreamy!
To the Wall
Rich British people do weird stuff, and that includes a game at Eton that's like soccer played up against a 200-year-old brick wall. (Why, though?) During his time at the exclusive school, Harry was clearly up for the challenge and had the grass stains and competitive demeanor to go with it. Meanwhile, older brother William was probably off somewhere studying while being ogled by a throng of girls.
Personality Plus
Unlike his quieter brother, Harry was always a showman. He was not the best student while at Eton, but he did use his teen years to hone his sense of humor and charm, and ultimately roll into his bad boy years. Here he is at age 18, palling around with a skeleton from the school's art department. What a ham!
Royal Braces!
Like many royals, Princess Beatrice has been going on skiing holidays since she was a kid, which of course means that photographers were there to capture her at every step of her development. And like many of us regular people, she had her share of awkwardness. Here she is as a 13-year-old in 2001, posing for photographers in full brace face mode at an exclusive ski resort in Verbier, Switzerland.
Teen Scene
Singer Katharine McPhee, now using her married name of Katharine Foster, went to school with Meghan Markle in Los Angeles at some point, and in 2019, she posted this cute pic of them twinning in red lipstick as teens after appearing in a school show. At the time of her post, Katharine was appearing in the musical Waitress in London's West End, and the pair apparently reconnected.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
Young Horsewoman
Queen Elizabeth has had a lifelong love affair with horses. To this day, she regularly rides horses and even breeds and races them. In this 1939 picture, the 13-year-old then-princess is in full riding habit next to one of her white ponies. She's in Windsor Great Park, the 5,000-acre wooded park — complete with thousands of deer hanging around — that surrounds Windsor Castle and is open to the public.
Sporty Kate
She may be a well-dressed and impeccably coiffed duchess these days, but like many other kids, Kate Middleton had to grow into her knees before that could happen. And in any case, Kate was clearly more interested in sports and academics as a kid as she was a star athlete. At St. Andrew's School in her native Berkshire, Kate played several sports including rounders, a bat-and-ball game that's a little similar to baseball. That's her on the left, in the front row of this team picture.
Quite the Jock
As we've seen in picture after picture of grown-up Kate smacking volleyballs, kicking soccer balls, and participating in races at official royal events, she loves athletic activities. During the London Olympics, she even practiced with the British field hockey team and kicked butt. Now we know why: She was on the field hockey team as a student at St. Andrew's.
Shy Di
It's mind-blowing to think about now, but Lady Diana — as she was known then — was just 19 when she got engaged to Prince Charles and started her public life and journey as future queen and style icon. She instantly charmed people wherever she went (in fact, it was a source of conflict between her and Charles), and that short and feathered haircut became one of the most imitated in the early 1980s.
Homecoming Queen
Meghan Markle wore a tiara long before her 2018 wedding. She rocked one when she was crowned homecoming queen at age 17, at her private Catholic high school in Los Angeles, St. Francis High. In a picture that made the rounds a few months before her wedding, Meghan looks pretty and happy wearing an ice blue satin dress and standing next to a boy while holding a bouquet of flowers.
To Be Young & Princess Royal
Kate is far from being the first to go casual for a polo match outing. Princess Anne — the Princess Royal — threw on a checked shirt and jeans to go see her dad, Prince Philip, play the sport in 1967 at age 17. Oh, and check out the snazzy convertible. Imagine having one of those as a teen! Don't know about y'all, but our first car was a Chevy Cavalier with a broken mirror and an oil stain in the back seat.
A Cold Stare …
Princess Anne looks like she's about to tell the photographer who took this shot to buzz off — which wouldn't surprise us, given her famously direct manner. Like her mom, Anne loves horses. At age 18, she was already an accomplished equestrian, and in 1976, she participated in the Montreal Olympics as part of the British equestrian team. She didn't win a medal, but she was the first royal to compete in the event.
Ready for School
At age 13, William enrolled at Eton, where students go to class wearing black suits with tails, like they're studying to be ring boys in a wedding. Fun fact: Eton is the boarding school close to Windsor Castle, which Prince Charles wanted to attend as a kid. As we all saw in The Crown, his dad instead sent him to his own alma mater, Gordonstoun, in Scotland, where he was bullied mercilessly and had to take cold showers.
The Spare
When William and Harry were born, they became next in line for the British throne after their dad. But before them, the second in line was Prince Andrew, Charles' brother, whom Charles took under his wing, despite their 12-year age difference. At 15 (and long before his scandals), Andrew was a nice looking dude, with strong eyebrows and a square chin that his daughter Princess Eugenie later inherited.
Snapping Away
The least public of all of the Queen's children, Prince Edward lives in the countryside, tucked away with his wife, Sophie Wessex, and their two kids. He was quiet as a teen as well, and he loved the arts. He was often seen with a camera around his neck, as in this picture, taken when he was 16, and later on, after university and serving in the Royal Marines. (He even had his own film production company.)
Walking the Dog
Zara Tindall (born Zara Phillips) is one of the cooler royals around, probably because she's super down-to-earth — and she always has been. In fact, her mom, Princess Anne, designed it that way, turning down titles for her and her brother, Peter Phillips, when they were born. A photographer snapped this cute pic of a 13-year-old Zara walking a dog at her home in Gloucestershire.
Working Royal
The Prince of Wales did some of his schooling in Australia where he attended Geelong Grammar School, which had a hands-on approach to education. Photographers came along for one outing to a wooded area, where Charles — who is now more familiar to us as the old dude who wears double-breasted suits and a pinky ring — showed off what he'd learned about chopping and sawing trees.
Teen Princesses
When the Queen and her sister, Princess Margaret, were teens, they were often photographed doing different things around Windsor Castle and other royal residences — maybe as a morale boost during World War II? In this picture from 1943, the two — aged 16 and 13, respectively — were in their Girl Guide outfits, getting ready to send a letter via carrier pigeon. We bet the Queen has this framed somewhere. It's special.
Close Encounter
As the child of divorced parents, Diana obviously spent a lot time at each parent's house. She mostly lived with her dad at the family estate, Althorp, where she's buried. Her mom, who left the family when Diana was small, lived in Scotland, and that's where this sweet picture of the future icon being nuzzled by a Shetland pony was taken.
