Royals who are left-handed: from Prince William to Queen Victoria

Happy International Left-Handers Day!

August 13 marks International Left-Handers Day, and in celebration we are taking a look at which members of the royal family are lefties! It’s thought that between ten and 12 per cent of the world's population are left-handed – including a number of prominent leaders, such as former US presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

MORE: Princess Diana encourages Prince William to walk in sweet unearthed clip

Over in the UK, famous war time Prime Minister Winston Churchill was left-handed, as is David Cameron. But what about the monarchy? HELLO! investigates…

Loading the player...

WATCH: Cheeky young British royals

Prince William

Britain's future king Prince William is famously a leftie, and has been seen on a number of occasions signing guest books using his left hand. He has even joked in the past about it, stating that "left-handers have better brains" than right-handers. One of the first times his trait became public knowledge was when he signed a book on his first day of school at Eton, where he was photographed alongside parents Prince Charles and Princess Diana and younger brother Prince Harry.

MORE: Princess Charlotte: when will the royal wear her first tiara?

Countess of Wessex

Sophie Wessex is another famous left-hander. The wife of Prince Edward is frequently photographed using her left hand to sign her name.

MORE: What the Countess of Wessex is really like to work with – according to her inner circle

King George VI

It’s highly likely that Prince William inherited the left-handed gene from his great-grandfather, George VI. The Queen's father was said to be naturally left-handed; although he would write with his right hand, he was frequently seen playing tennis with his left hand, such as in this snapshot.

MORE: Prince Philip's incredible wedding gift to the Queen revealed

Queen Victoria

King George VI, meanwhile, seems to have inherited the distinctive trait from his great-grandmother, Queen Victoria! The monarch was often seen writing with her right hand, but would paint with her left hand, suggesting she may have been encouraged to write with the right instead – something that was common practice at the time.

Prince George

It has been widely reported that Prince George is left-handed. But in some photos, William and Kate's eldest child seems to have a dominant right hand. While attending the polo in June 2019, he was pictured swinging a mallet with his right hand, and famously used the same hand to stir the Christmas pudding mixture in December 2019, along with the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William.

MORE: When will Prince George undertake his first solo engagement?

Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity and royal news delivered directly to your inbox.