COMPARED to right-handers, there are significantly less people that write with their left hand.
However, there’s some royal faces on the list of those who use their left hand.
Which royals are left handed?
Prince William
Prince William is left-handed ,and the revelation came as a shock to some people.
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 his father King Charles, his mother Princess Diana, and brother Prince Harry.
In later life, William has been seen on a number of occasions signing guest books and documents using his left hand.
In 2022, the Prince of Wales also signed a proclamation as part of King Charles III’s Accession Council ceremony at St James’s Palace – and in this did so with his left hand.
As millions watched the ceremony, the social media commentary that focused around the proclamation was dominated with discussions of being left-handed.
One wrote: ”I never knew Prince William was left handed! (as a mother of a left-hander I’ll be sure to let them know).”
William himself has even joked in the past about being left-handed, stating that “left-handers have better brains” than right-handers.
Sophie Wessex
Sophie Wessex, the wife of Prince Edward, is left handed.
She has been photographed using her left hand when signing her name.
She has been seen using her left hand to sign official documents.
King George VI
Also on the list is King George VI, who was naturally left-handed, however, he used his right hand to write
He was also frequently seen playing tennis with his left hand.
It’s thought that King George VI seemed to have inherited the left-handed trait from his great-grandmother, Queen Victoria – who was often seen writing with her right hand but would paint with her left hand.
Queen Victoria
As mentioned, Queen Victoria was thought to be left handed.
Like King George VI she would write with her right hand but painted with her left.
She may have been encouraged to use her right hand which was common practice at the time.
Prince George
William’s son Prince George was also pictured using his left hand to play sports when he was younger.
However, some photos show that he seems to be dominant with his right hand.
It hasn’t been confirmed if he follows in his father’s footsteps in terms of his dominant hand.
The Queen mother
King George VI’s wife, Queen Elizabeth is thought to have been left handed like him according to Hello!.
However this was not confirmed.
If she was, she didn’t pass this trait onto the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Infanta Elena of Spain
Infanta Elena is the oldest daughter of King Juan Carlos I of Spain and Queen Sofía and is third in the Spanish royal line of succession.
She is also thought to be left handed.
She has been seen in the past using her left hand as her dominant hand.
Elena became Duchess of Lugo by her father, King Juan Carlos when she tied the knot with Jaime de Marichalar y Sáenz de Tejada, Lord of Tejada.
Since the ascension of her younger brother to the Spanish throne Elena is not an official part of the royal family.
Princess Leonor of Spain
Princess Leonor of Spain is another left handed royal.
She takes after her aunt Infanta Elena who is also dominant with her left hand.
Princess Leonor is the oldest daughter of King Felipe VI.
In 2014, when her father ascended the throne after the abdication of her grandfather, Leonor was granted all the traditional titles of the heir to the Spanish crown.
If she ascends to the throne as expected she will be Spain’s first queen regnant since her fourth great-grandmother Isabella II.
How rare is it to be left-handed?
Studies have suggested in the past that just 10-12% of people tend to be left-handed, whereas up to 90% of the population are right-handed.
However, it has also been found that some people who write with their left hand will use their right hand for other tasks such as playing sports or eating.
Children will develop a preference for whether they are right or left handed by the time they are around 18-months-old.
Before this, most children will use both hands in equal measure as they develop a preference.
They will have a definite dominant hand by the time they are three-years-old.
Is being left-handed genetic?
A direct genetic link to handedness has not been proved.
Some believe that a child will develop which hand they use due to genetics, but this doesn’t mean that two right-handed parents can’t have a left-handed child.
Handedness does not have a simple line of inheritance, but it’s said that children of left-handed parents are more likely to be left-handed too.
However, because the overall chance of being left-handed is relatively low, most children of left-handed parents are right-handed.
But, others think that a child will choose a dominant hand based on environmental factors instead.
This can include seeing other people write with certain hands or the way the furniture in their home is set up.
Royal Family roles explained
- Who is and who isn’t prince or princess in the British Royal Family?
- What is a royal patronage?
- What is a baroness?
- What is an OBE and what does it stand for?
- What is the Order of the Garter?
- Who are the working royals in the British Royal Family?
