Ever wondered how tall King Charles is, what height the Queen was and whether William or Harry is taller? Here’s how the royal family measure up and what their height says about them.
It’s safe to say that there’s a real mix of heights within the royal line of succession. With Prince William and Prince Harry standing much taller than the monarch in the height game – thanks in part to Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s height being similar measurements.
Then there’s the addition of the tall Duchess of Cambridge, whose added height advantage suggests that Prince George could be one of the Queen’s great-grandchildren that could stand – quite literally – head and shoulders above the rest.
How tall is King Charles?
King Charles is 5ft 10 inches tall (1.78m). His Majesty is taller than his current wife Camilla, but was the same height as his ex-wife, Princess Diana.
An article on The Society Pages suggests efforts were made to make him look taller than the late Princess Diana both before and after their St Paul’s Cathedral based wedding.
Professor Lisa Wade wrote, “When Charles and Diana were posed together formally, however, they were typically arranged so as to suggest that he was significantly taller than her, or at least to disguise the fact that he was not.”
Body language expert and psychologist Judi James adds that while having a taller man in a relationship is less of an issue now, it would have been something people noticed back in the eighties when the couple married.
“It’s probably less of a problem now but the rule always used to be that the man should be taller than the woman in a relationship. And we saw Diana overcompensating with Charles by wearing flat shoes and even hunching over at times as she walked.
“The male ego is tightly linked to sexual performance and perhaps the thought was to avoid anything that might make him feel weaker or inferior.”
In contrast, KingCharles’ current wife, the Duchess of Cornwall is smaller by comparison – standing at 5ft 8. But you’ll rarely see Camilla wearing anything higher than two-inch heels. So as not to tower over her royal husband.
How tall was the Queen?
Queen Elizabeth II was just 5ft 3 inches (1.63m). And whilst she might have once been the most powerful of the bunch, she was certainly the smallest member in the Royal Firm. Which is why you saw the 96-year-old Monarch wearing brightly coloured clothes as she needed to ensure she stands out in a crowd.
According to the Queen’s biographer, Robert Hardman, she once revealed, “I can never wear beige because nobody will know who I am. But, by wearing colour people can say, ‘I saw the Queen’.”
Body expert Judi says the Queen spent years creating the impression of height through other optical illusions:
“The Queen was a bit like Margaret Thatcher in this one respect, that you expect both women to be taller in real life,” Judi explains. “This optical illusion comes from the kind of very upright posture that the Queen and Thatcher had back in the day and the fact that they were rarely seen close to other people because of their positions and power. The Queen’s regal bearing created an impression of height.”
How tall was Prince Philip?
The Queen’s husband-of- 73-years, Prince Philip, was much taller than her – measuring 6ft (1.83m).
Rumour has it Her Majesty was attracted to the late Prince Phillip’s height and “masculinity”. According to royal commentator, Lady Colin Campbell, the Duke of Edinburgh “exuded masculinity from every pore”.
Writing in her book, The Queen’s Marriage, she said, “Philip’s masculinity, which I can tell you was potent in person, set him apart. It was akin to that of Sean Connery at the height of his fame as James Bond.”
And Judi says it’s in our nature as humans to be attracted to the strongest species to mate with.
“It’s not always true that women are attracted to taller men. But nature does sell us the attraction values of a taller and stronger make to mate with.”
She adds, “I believe the Queen was impressed by Philip’s ability to jump over the tennis nets on their first meeting. One of the Queen’s great loves is horses so there had to be a link there as she was admiring his long legs!”
How tall is Prince William?
At 6ft 3 (1.91m), Prince William is the tallest member of the royal family. Which seems fitting for our future King.
Judi says height does still have an “alpha effect” in society, leading people to trust those leaders who are taller.
She said, “Animal groups often feel more secure when they have an alpha leader to keep the peace, even though it means they will be subservient to that alpha.
“Humans have probably become conditioned through history to see some form of security in having a tall leader and it could stem from the days when kings and leaders were expected to lead the fight in wars and battles.
“We also equate greater space with status and taller people do tend to get that power gap around them. They are more visible and their height in a social, networking group, will make everyone else look up at them physically, enhancing their signals of power.”
Whilst William is currently the tallest royal, fans have predicted that his son Prince George might one day outgrow him. Especially with the eight-year-old already standing at about 4ft.
How tall is the Duchess of Cambridge?
Kate Middleton is 5ft 9in (1.75m) – three inches taller than her counterpart, Meghan Markle.
With rumours of ongoing rivalry between the pair, Judi says Catherine’s height could be seen as an advantage.
She explains, “Being taller in that scenario, where there are even rumours of rifts can give some advantage. Harry and William are both tall and in Catherine’s eye-line, meaning she might find it easier to stay in the group in terms of sharing that elevated space.
“Meghan, on the other hand, could possibly have needed to attract that attention at times. It also seemed to mean that Meghan wore heels a lot and they will always be more difficult to manage in social groups.”
The Duchess of Cambridge’s height means her heel height of choice tends to be about 3.5 inches. In her favourite Rupert Sanderson heels, she often measures just over 6ft.
And as for 7-year-old Princess Charlotte, who Prince William said is just like Kate Middleton – it is thought she’ll be of similar standing to her mum.
How tall is Prince Harry?
Prince Harry is 6ft 1 tall (1.86m). This makes him 2 inches shorter than brother William but four inches above the average height for a man in the UK.
Psychologist, Timothy A Judge of the University of Florida, says his tall height will help him feel more confident on royal engagements.
“The process of literally ‘looking down on others’ may cause one to be more confident,” he told the American Psychologist Association.
“Similarly, having others ‘looking up to us’ may instill in tall people more self-confidence.”
How tall is Meghan Markle?
According to an old acting CV, the Duchess of Sussex stands at 5ft 6 (1.68m). This is three inches taller than the average woman.
Although she’s taller than average, Meghan is still one of the smaller members of the royal family.
Judi explains, “Being small in a social group means you are literally being looked down on which can suggest visual images or feelings of inferiority.”
While she’s smaller than the Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan uses other forms of body language to exert confidence.
Judi reveals, “The good news is that it doesn’t seem to have impacted negatively on her body language. As she tends to hold herself well and display other confidence signals.”
It might also explain why she’s a big fan of high heels and usually wears shoes with a heel height of 4½ inches.
Video of the Week:
