You Won't Recognize The Royal Women In These Throwback Photos
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Anyone born into the British royal family has had cameras in their face since they were a newborn. Even those who enter the family through marriage are subjected to near-constant media attention — remember those iconic snapshots of Catherine, Princess of Wales, and her husband William, Prince of Wales, smiling outside of St. Mary's Hospital with an infant Prince George, very shortly after he was born? Kate Middleton has been open about how uncomfortable she felt posing for those post-birth photos, which she's done for all three of her children. Back in the 1980s, Princess Diana and King Charles III did the same for William and his younger brother, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
Because of the public's excitement surrounding the royals, camera flashbulbs and front-page photos are nothing new for them. In fact, in August 2022, the royal family's official Instagram account shared a collection of portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and noted in the caption, "The Queen is one of the most photographed people in the world." Although it's hard to nail down the specifics of that claim — it's likely impossible for any individual to catalog every photo of Her Majesty that's ever been taken — it's believable. However, the media attention isn't always welcome; just ask Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, who's had disturbing interactions with the paparazzi alongside Harry.
Despite the barrage of coverage, in certain throwback photos, these incredibly famous and well-known folks look completely unrecognizable.
Kate Middleton enjoyed the outdoors with her brother
If you scrolled through Instagram and randomly stumbled across the above photo, you wouldn't even recognize the girl on the left, smiling outdoors with her hair pulled back and a casual polo shirt on. However, she's none other than Catherine, Princess of Wales, pictured alongside her younger brother, James Middleton. After Kate's cancer diagnosis was shared with the world in March 2024, James took to Instagram to share this throwback photo with his famous older sister, alongside some words of encouragement: "Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too."
In the adorable snapshot, the siblings wore matching collared shirts, Kate's in black and James' in red. The future princess's hair seemed to be fairly short and pulled into a simple ponytail, not coiffed to perfection as it typically is during her many royal engagements. Kate seemed happy to be outside, smiling behind her brother. The pair also have strong similarities in their facial features, which is slightly less noticeable in their adulthood.
Meghan Markle was all smiles in a throwback school pic
To ring in 2025, Meghan Markle rejoined Instagram. One of her first posts from March of that year showed a younger Duchess of Sussex at her former prep school, Immaculate Heart, in LA. In the flashback pic, Meghan stood alongside a statue of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. The "With Love, Meghan" host re-shared the photo from her alma mater's Instagram page and added her own caption, expressing gratitude for their kind words. "Go Pandas," she added, referencing their mascot.
It's hard to believe the young woman in the photo would one day become the actor-turned-royal we all know today. Meghan's hair fell past her shoulders and was styled with a little more wave near the ends, looking less polished than her standard silky 'dos. She also wore a headband and a white dress with a simple pattern and beige cardigan, which is a far cry from some of Meghan's best fashion moments. However, her bright smile wasn't too far off from the present-day Duchess of Sussex.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie had much lighter hair as children
The adorable toddlers in matching blue collared dresses above aren't twins, despite their remarkably similar looks. In fact, it's Princess Beatrice and her younger sister Princess Eugenie attending the 1992 Royal Windsor Horse Show, each holding a hand of their mother, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. The sisters both have very light, practically blond hair in the above snapshot, which darkened gradually over time. Nowadays, Beatrice is notable for her auburn locks, while Eugenie's hair is dark brown.
Beatrice and Eugenie also have different, albeit still stunning, approaches to style and don't dress exactly the same anymore, although the sisters matched often as children. In addition to their outfits in the throwback photo, the royal women also have nearly identical little-kid smiles. When Eugenie shared birthday wishes for her big sister on Instagram in 2020, their smiles were very similar once again. "Still rocking a scrunchie or hair accessory (since the 90s) and huge smiles on our faces," Eugenie wrote in the caption, alongside a different flashback photo of the sisters wearing matching floral dresses.
Princess Diana wore her hair much longer when she was young
When thinking of the late Princess Diana, a specific vision likely comes to mind: That of a blond woman with a signature, chic short haircut, standing tall beside King Charles III due to both him and Diana being 5 feet, 10 inches. However, this snapshot from 1971 shows a much-younger Diana at about 10 years old, wearing a white top and a black hat. Her hair is straight and considerably longer than royal watchers are used to seeing, falling past her shoulders. Notably, the future royal's decision to keep her hair short in adulthood had a deeper meaning.
Sam McKnight, the hairstylist who worked with Diana from 1990 until her untimely death in 1997, told Harper's Bazaar Australia that when they first crossed paths at a photoshoot, the Princess of Wales asked him if he'd like to go for the big chop. Then, she had McKnight maintain that same consistent cut as time went on so that the focus would remain solely on all the royal engagements she embarked upon around the world raising awareness for important issues.
"She was very clever, because she knew that even if she changed her parting, the press would be focusing on that instead," McKnight pointed out. He later added, "She knew it wasn't about her hair, she couldn't make it about her hair."
Queen Elizabeth II was once a carefree kid (and always a dog lover)
The late Queen Elizabeth II was simply Princess Elizabeth before she became the ruling monarch of the U.K. The above snapshot from 1936 showed the nearly unrecognizable youngster smiling at the Royal Lodge, one of the royal family's many residences, with her younger sister Princess Margaret and their fluffy Cairn terrier Chu-Chu. Elizabeth's dark hair was curled and rested around her ears, a hairstyle she stuck with for her entire life, and she wore a simple sweater and plaid skirt. Her Majesty looked like the epitome of a carefree child, which makes sense considering it was another 16 years before she took the throne.
In addition to her cute hairstyle, one thing that didn't change as Elizabeth got older was her love of dogs. "The Wicked Wit of Queen Elizabeth II," penned by Karen Dolby, included an anecdote where the queen defended her corgis. After Princess Michael of Kent supposedly claimed that the dogs "should be shot," the outspoken royal reportedly fired back with, "They're better behaved than she is."