If you look back at old childhood photographs of the royal brothers, you will immediately notice a very specific fashion trend. Princess Diana dressed William and Harry alike almost every time they stepped out in public as young boys.
According to a report from Vanity Fair, there was much more to her wardrobe choices than a simple stylistic whim. Princess Diana dressed William and Harry alike for a deeply touching reason that pushed back against centuries of royal tradition.
From the moment they were born, Prince William was celebrated as the future king, while Prince Harry was labeled the "spare." This toxic dynamic affected their relationship so deeply that Harry eventually named his 2023 memoir Spare to highlight always feeling less important.
While the late Princess of Wales could not change their birth order, she used clothing to visually equalize her children. Former royal butler Paul Burrell explained that Princess Diana dressed William and Harry alike to show there was no difference between the two in her eyes.
Everyone around the palace constantly showed preferential treatment toward the eldest son as the future heir to the throne. By choosing matching outfits, Princess Diana dressed William and Harry alike to project a clear sense of unity and equality.
However, Burrell later told Marie Claire that the young princes actually hated wearing the exact same clothes. Even though Princess Diana dressed William and Harry alike with the best intentions, neither brother wanted to match his sibling.
Harry confirmed this himself in the 2017 documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, which marked 20 years since her tragic 1997 death in Paris. He joked that he genuinely believed his mother got satisfaction out of putting them in bizarre, matching shorts and shiny clip-on shoes.
For both formal and informal occasions, Princess Diana dressed William and Harry alike until William finally started complaining about it. Harry recalled William saying it was ridiculous for the older brother to wear the exact same outfit as his younger sibling.
Harry remembered telling William to hang on a second, because he certainly did not want to be left alone wearing those weird outfits by himself. Looking back at those childhood photos today, Harry admitted that the matching clothes make him laugh and wonder how she could do that to them.
Behind palace doors, the reason Princess Diana dressed William and Harry alike became obvious during everyday moments with the royal staff. In the documentary The Palace: What the Royal Servants Saw, Burrell recalled hearing a nanny give William three sausages at breakfast while giving Harry only two.
The nanny told William he needed to grow big and strong because he was going to be king one day, leaving poor Harry looking devastated across the table. While King Charles and Diana treated the boys equally, Princess Diana dressed William and Harry alike because staff members often forgot Harry's feelings.
Burrell worked alongside the royal family for a decade and noted that Diana became furious whenever she caught palace staff favoring William. She always insisted that both of her boys were equal, which is the exact reason Princess Diana dressed William and Harry alike for so many years.
Sadly, the brothers have barely spoken since Queen Elizabeth's funeral in September 2022, and the frost remains even after Harry and his family moved back to the U.K. in August. Royal biographer Andrew Morton told People that Diana always viewed Harry as William's future wingman and would have acted as a peacemaker had she lived.
A source close to the royal household added that the true sadness is seeing
the brothers fail to support each other the way any mother would want.
Ultimately, the heartwarming story of why
Princess Diana dressed William and Harry alike serves as a
bittersweet reminder of how hard she fought to keep her sons united.
Key Takeaways:
- Princess Diana dressed William and Harry alike during their childhood to fight the painful royal "heir and spare" dynamic.
- Former royal butler Paul Burrell revealed that Diana wanted a visual reminder that both of her sons were completely equal.
- Although both royal brothers hated wearing matching outfits, Diana fiercely opposed palace staff giving William special treatment.
