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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Jennifer Newton & Nia Dalton

Queen's youngest grandson looks 'strikingly' like teenage Prince William, say fans

All eight of the Queen's grandchildren paid their respects to the late monarch at her funeral yesterday, days after they mounted an emotional vigil around her coffin at Westminster Hall. While many faces like Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were familiar to those watching at home, some of the younger cousins were far less known.

The Queen's youngest grandson, James, Viscount Severn, was praised for showing dignity and respect during the vigil, and royal fans also recognised he had a stark resemblance to another royal. Mourners watching the touching ceremony on television couldn't help but notice he looked similar to a young Prince William.

The young boy stood beside his cousins during the emotional ceremony (Getty Images)

Born in December 2007, the teenage Viscount Severn is the second child of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

At just 14 years old, James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor has largely grown up away from the public spotlight.

One viral tweet compared the young Viscount at the vigil for his grandmother to an old photograph of Prince William, seemingly taken at the funeral for his late mother, Diana, the former Princess of Wales, in 1997.

William can be seen looking down with a sad expression on his face, while wearing a black suit and tie and white shirt.

In the recent shot, James has his head hung in a similar manner and wears a dark-coloured tie and suit jacket - though his is decorated with the medals gifted to him by the Queen.

Both their haircuts and side profiles appear similar, and at a glance, many royal fans admitted to mistaking the younger cousin for a teenage Prince William.

The touching moment was compared to Princess Diana's funeral in 1997 (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

The tweet read: "James, Viscount Severn looks strikingly like a young Prince William today" and garnered almost 8,000 likes.

One person replied: "Yes!! When I first saw him I thought it was a throwback to a young Prince William," while another said: "I thought exactly the same thing...well done young man!!!"

Many expressed how his "Grannie would be proud" and how he'd handled the vigil as well as his older cousin.

Over the last few months, James has made several high-profile appearances such as at the Commonwealth Games and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

James attended the Committal Service for Queen Elizabeth II with his sister (Getty Images)

Proud dad Edward described his newborn son as "very cute and very cuddly" and at the time of his birth, he was eighth in line to the throne - although he has now slipped to 14th.

When his parents Edward and Sophie married at St George's Chapel in Windsor in 1999, they were granted the titles Earl and Countess of Wessex.

And at the time, Buckingham Palace also announced that any of their future children would not be styled as prince or princess.

Royal fans watching the funeral noticed James' similarities to William (2022 Getty Images)

This means that James and his older sister Louise, are titled as children of an Earl - and don't use the HRH style.

James' title is Viscount Severn - one of his dad Edward's subsidiary titles - and the decision was said to be part of his parent's hopes for their children to have as normal a childhood as possible.

Both James and sister Louise have often been described as among the Queen's favourite grandchildren - and shared a close relationship with her.

Prince William had a similar hairstyle when he was around the same age (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

Each summer, they would spend quality time with their grandmother on her Balmoral estate, where James is said to be "rather good at flipping burgers" during family barbecues.

And during his moving tribute to his mother, James' dad Edward touched on the teenager's shared loves and passions with the Queen - and the late Philip.

He said: "The Queen's passing has left an unimaginable void in all our lives. Sophie and I have taken huge pleasure in seeing our James and Louise enjoying the places and activities that their grandparents loved so much.

James and his sister Lady Louise both had close relationships with their grannie (Getty Images)

"Given that my mama let us spend so much time with her, I think she also rather enjoyed watching those passions blossom. Those times together, those happy memories, have now become massively precious to each and every one of us."

Meanwhile, one of James' major interests was once revealed by the Queen herself several years ago as she talked proudly about the youngster.

During a ceremony in Windsor Castle in 2017, she was introduced to an eight-year-old boy, who was around the same age as James at the time.

She told him: "My grandson is nine and he does nothing else but tries to drive a car - mostly mine."

You can leave your tributes to Queen Elizabeth II here.

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