Best looking royals
 

Sorry if there is already a thread on this subject. The only ones I could find were old ones.

Men first. I have to say that historically, I think Edward lV was the most handsome king of England ever. Apparently ladies of the time agreed! The present Queen's father, George VI was a nice looking man too, so it's no wonder that the Queen was so beautiful in her youth. IMO Bertie was miles handsomer than his brother David.
Modern day royal men? I give my vote to Crown Prince Frederick.

Now to the ladies. As per my avatar, I vote for queen consort Elizabeth Woodville historically, and for her daughter queen Elizabeth of York. Queen Elizabeth II really was a pretty young lady, and I think she looks fabulous in her wedding photos! Princess Grace could hardly fail to make the list, but I do think her successor and daughter-in-law Princess Charlene does not let her down. Princess Diana - yes she was an English Rose. I admire Sophie Countess of Wessex for still being youthfully fresh faced (I may be biased as she is the nearest in age to me!) And lastly, Queen Rania is very stunning.

Richard II was said to be quite beautiful, as was Edward III when he was young.
Richard Lionheart was supposedly quite handsome as well.

Beautiful queens:
Isabella of Angouleme was gorgeous.

And though she never became queen, the Black Prince's widow, Joan the Fair Maid of Kent, was known to be very attractive.

Medieval portraiture though was very iffy and we have to rely on descriptions of royals which almost always flattered anyone important. Before photography portraiture was equally biased. However, I do agree that, judging by her portrait in stained glass Elizabeth Woodville was probably stunning.

If photography hadn't been invented no doubt Queen Victoria would have been referred to as a raving beauty! However, prince Albert was considered attractive as a young man and even though his looks had deteriorated by the time he was photographed in the 1850s I think he was probably a goodlooking young man.

Tastes in looks change as well, don't they? David (later Edward VIII) was admired for his blonde and blue eyed look when young, though I agree his brother Bertie (the Queen's father) was better looking by today's standards.

Grace, Madeleine, and Diana were/are beauties. I think Crown Prince Frederik is still very cute. Of course vibrant personalities come into it for me. Maxima and Harry are favourites of mine even if they aren't fantastic looking.

Men: HRH Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece - they don't get more handsome than that.

Women: HRH The Duchess of Kent (Katharine) and HRH Princess Michael of Kent were both knockouts in their youth and while Katharine has aged as true beauties tend to do, Princess Michael retains a mighty glamour.

Princess Margaret, in her 1960s prime, was incredibly beautiful.

Looks
 

Charlotte Casiraghi is a real stunner and very like her mother Princess Caroline when young. She's very stylish too. I hope she gives up smoking as it tends to age people, and that would be a pity to happen prematurely.

Looks
 

I agree that Prince Harry has 'grown into' his looks. I can see Prince Charles in his face quite clearly (I laugh when idiots say he's Hewitt's) but he has inherited a lot of Diana's features too. And by golly he seems like he really is a fun person.

Looks
 

As has been said about medieval descriptions usually flattering and pictures not being realistic, that is the reason I chose only those historic royals of whom we have contemporary portraits (I realise in most cases they are later copies of lost originals, but the originals were painted from life, and some are very good). Catherine Parr was the prettiest of Henry VIII's wives, both portraits of her are good enough to tell that, especially the full-length one without the hat.

I apologize for sounding rather rude beforehand, but such a subject irks me.

Everybody, royal or not, are beautiful in some way or another.

Well, not quite. If somebody was stunningly good looking but was a murderer, a thug, cruel to children and animals, I would not call that person 'beautiful' because they would be ugly on the inside. However none of the people I mentioned was or is, to my knowledge, a cruel person.

Now if we were discussing the least good looking royals I could understand your point of view. The fact is, most of us are only average in looks, as I myself am. But it is a fact of life that human beings love beautiful things, including beautiful faces. It's what sells celebrity magazines like Hello afterall. I think we can all agree that none of the royal family members we discuss on this forum would get good press if they popped out for milk in their jimjams, unshaven/no makeup/hairy armpits/greasy hair/pot belly etc.

This is just meant to be harmless fun. We are not saying 'well done' to these people, as it is mostly down to their genes (my hubby hates it when men are praised for being tall, as he is not very tall. He is good looking, ihmo, but he thinks it unfair that a lot of women insist they must have a tall man). We are just having a friendly discussion. And it is a discussion because everyone has a different opinion on who is and isn't nice looking.

Well, beauty is subjective, of course.
I always thought Margaret was barely average, and I'm always surprised when people rave about her looks.

I agree about Charlotte. I was looking at Paris Match and other magazine covers of her taken from when she was in her teens until up to about a month ago. If there is a such thing as being "too beautiful" it's Charlotte, imo. I also Google'd some video and still photos of her current love Dimitri Rassam from a few years back. He looked like a model, just gorgeous. I cannot imagine what their lives will be like having to face the paparazzi as a couple when/if they marry.:ohmy:

Beatrice Borromeo -like her sister-in-law Charlotte is not Royal, but she is an aristocrat related to a Royal and like Charlotte she is dazzling.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden is also truly beautiful.

Lord Royal, I agree with you about the late Princess Margaret in her prime(the 1950's) she was stunning and one of the most beautiful Royal brides ever.

Princess Madeline is stunning. More than Charlotte IMO...who has not looked as well more recently..too thin or something.

Princess Margaret was absolutely beautiful when she was young.


LaRae

:previous: Totally agree that Charlotte has become too thin. Beatrice has as well but her weight loss does not translate to her face like Charlotte's does.

Still, when Charlotte is in full bloom no one can touch her, imo. Right after her son was born I thought she looked incredible and now again over the summer she has been starting to look like the old Charlotte. She seems transformed somehow, and her face and hair are beautiful even if her figure is scrawny. Maybe it's the happiness in her personal life.

She is one of a handful of women I can think of who look more gorgeous without makeup than with it.

I used to think Madeleine of Sweden had done irreparable damage to her skin with her sun and nicotine habit, but she looks flawless lately. I have no idea what she did but her complexion looks better than ever!

Maybe Maddie has started taking better care of her skin...new beauty regimen etc.


LaRae

For me it would be Tsar Nicholas and George V a close second

Curryong's description of royals' looks, I agree with. I would add Caroline to my list.

For me, it has to be Prince Harry. He is not only good looking but seems to be a genuinely nice and generally friendly person who has done and still does tons of charity work for a lot of different causes from poor children to injured ex-service personnel.

Harry is glowing lately. I think as others have mentioned, personal happiness can translate into looks, and Harry's life has definitely been on the up lately. His beaming smile lights up his face like his mother's did hers. It's never been a case of most eligible bachelor just for his title though, women have always wanted to be Princess Henry of Wales. And that carroty hair is so striking. I bet Meghan and Harry have some gorgeous children.

Best looking born Royal female-Madeleine of Sweden(now), Caroline of Monaco(past)

Best looking born Royal male-Carl-Philip of Sweden, Nikolai of Denmark (now) Andrew Duke of York(past)


Best looking married in Royal female-Queen Jetsun of Bhutan(now) Grace of Monaco(past)

Best looking married in Royal male- Inaki Urdangarin (now), Henri de Montpezat(past)

Current/younger royals: Princess Maddie is stunning. Princess Eugenie, Charlotte of Monaco. Claire of Luxembourg. Beatrice Borromeo, Pierre and Andrea Casiraghi.

Older/past royals: Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Anne, Prince Phillip. Princess Caroline and Stephanie. Princess Grace.