Diana, Princess of Wales
The late Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997), once remarked that, in marrying Prince Charles and having two sons with him, she had genetically given the British Royal family “chins.” She felt that she had a very prominent chin and that the Royal Windsors were lacking in this facial feature. Her sons, Princes William (b. 1982) and Henry (b. 1984), known as “the Heir and the Spare,” are in line for the British throne.
Queen Elizabeth II is shown wearing a lime green suit in this 1960s era photo with husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and their four children, l to r: Andrew, Edward, Charles, and Anne.
Tragically, Diana didn’t live to see her boys grown into tall, strapping fellows setting new records not for chins but for height. This genetic trait was likely passed down to them through Diana’s Spencer family and their grandfather Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who was 6′ at his prime. Princess Diana, at 5’10” & 3/4″, was almost 2 inches taller than her former husband.
At 6’3″, Prince William of Wales, second in line for the British throne, is set to become the tallest monarch in history. His brother, Prince Henry of Wales (known as Prince Harry), is right up there with him, measuring in at 6’2″.
The Great Seal of Edward I who served as the British monarch from 1272-1307
The record for the tallest British monarch has been held by Edward I, 6’2″, known as “Longshanks” for his long legs. An expert horseman, he took the throne in 1272.
More modernly, though, the British monarchs have erred on the short side. Queen Elizabeth II, who took the throne in 1953, is only 5’4″. Her great grandmother Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837-1901, was even more petite. She was only 5 feet tall and very stocky. At her death in 1901, Queen Victoria boasted a 50″ waist.
Queen Victoria was quite stout. With her afternoon "cuppa" tea, she fancied a sponge cake slathered with jam and whipped cream. This classic (high-calorie) British cake is known as the "Victoria Sponge."
Should Prince William decide to marry his long-time girlfriend, the 5’10” Kate Middleton, their children likely would be taller than the average royal.
Kate Middleton (black hat) is shown with Prince Harry of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (white hat), at the June 16, 2008 installation of Kate's boyfriend Prince William of Wales in the Order of the Garter.
Here’s how the current royals and their significant others measure up:
Men ———————————– Ladies
Prince William (6ft 3in) ——– Kate Middleton (5ft 10in)
Prince Harry (6th 2in) ——— Chelsy Davy (5ft 8in)
Prince Philip = (5ft 11in) ——– The Queen (5ft 4in)
Prince Charles = (5ft 9in) ——- Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall (5ft 8in), Diana (5ft, 10 & 3/4 in)
Source: Article Daily Mail
Lisa's History Room 
Intresting. My father is 6’2, my mother is 6’1 and I’m only 5’8.
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JilliAnn, your height is above average for females. I am only 5’5 &1/2″.
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Ah, this post brought to mind the comic struggle Anna Leonowens had in not letting her head be higher than that of Siam’s King Mongut. By the way, you’re not implying Victoria should have been addressed as Her Roundness?
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I love it!
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The Windsor men received strong chins from the Mountbattens as well as the Spencers. Lord Mountbatten of Burma, The Duke of Edinburgh, and the Duke of York all had and have strong chins. Peter Phillips has inherited this characteristic as well. I find that there’s a resemblance between Prince Andrew, Peter Phillips, and Prince William in particular.
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I see the resemblance you note. Handsome men, aren’t they?
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Correction. Although Prince William has received some genes from the Spencers, the other men obviously haven’t. That strong chin came from the Mountbattens.
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It was Diana’s quote that she had contributed the chin.
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im 5’6 and i like it.i dont want to get higher than 5’6..
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Being on the family line of King Edward the I …It’s weird DNA genes my son who has 13 shoe and height of 5ft 11in. and still growing..must take after the side of “LongShanks”
I wish i knew all the males shoe sizes …interesting..
I am only 5ft. 1″ and sometimes say 2″ to make myself feel taller lol
The tall genes comes from the male sides… Awsome genes!
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My Father was 6’3″ – Mother 5′ 8″
Brother – 6′
Nephew – 6’2″
Sister – 5′ 8″
Nephew – 6’3″
Sister- 6′ 1”
Nephew – 7′
Nephew – 6′ 6″
I had no children but enjoyed my 5′ 10″ height. I can always see what is going on and where to go. My nephews are all very tall and the one that is 6′ 6″ is 20 yrs old and may get taller. However my grandparents were all shorter. My father’s father and mother were both 5’8″ and my Mother’s father 5’9″ and mother 5’5″. The younger we are, the taller we get.
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What a healthy family! Thanks for sharing!
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William and Harry both are very tall and how great it is that they favor the Spencers and their mother, there..Camilla up there, am unsurprised to see her looking absolutely ghastly! GOD BLESS WILLS and KATE, The QUEEN, and GOD BLESS ENGLAND!
(Just heart- felt sentiments from a loyal American!)
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Right on with everything you said, Tally G!
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with all this attention towards the royals and more these days ,with the wedding, there is new attention given harry and pippa … was wondering how many brothers married sisters in similar cases in history…. seems like this is on many peoples mind since the wedding … it could happen and if it did it would help them all deal with the pressure of being a royal …what do you think lisa ?
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I think we all love to be matchmakers….
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That’s not right, about WIlliam becoming the tallest British monarch. King Edward IV (1442-83) i estimated to have been about 6’4″. He was also supposed to be gorgeous and sexy, in contrast to his brother Richard III. (Edward’s wife Elizabeth Woodville was also a famous beauty, known for her “silver-gilt hair”.)
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Dichroic, welcome to Lisa’s History Room. What is your source of information on King Edward IV?
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Edward got fat and had a heart attack at like 34. Lisa, if you are from my line of Waller’s you probably are related to the Spencer line. Tall and good looking :)!
Female Wallers married Earls of Northumberland and Earls of Spencer around the 1500s.
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tall does not equate to good looking. the royals have just been luckier than most in that respect. i am 5 feet 4 inches, male, and i have been told by many people that i am far from ugly. compare peter crouch to prince william and i’m sure most people will realise that its not height that makes someone attractive, it’s their overall personality.
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Aww Steve, some women just like to be thrown around by a tall man. Sorry. 😦
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This article is mistaken in one important respect: the tallest British monarch in history was not Edward I at 6’2″ but in fact Edward IV (of the House of York, a branch of the House of Plantagenet) at 6’4″. See the following Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_IV_of_England
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AJ, thank you so much for this info. I respect your history knowledge; I know very little of such early British monarchs. Keep coming back!
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Also worth noting: the current tallest royal is King Felipe VI of Spain, who is estimated to be 6’5″ or 6’6″.
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Thank you for this. I had no idea he was so tall.
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