Prince William is openly left-handed, but there are and were more royals who possessed this rare trait. However, unlike the Prince of Wales, the royal history wasn’t too liberal towards his predecessors. Being left-handed was considered a stigma due to its relation to the supposed negative approach. Despite that, there are a few British Royals who are lefties. This trait is rare; as per studies, only 10% of the entire population can be left-handed.
However, it becomes unique when the person next in line for the British throne claims the trait. On September 8, 2022, when King Charles III ascended to the throne, it was finally confirmed that his son was left-handed. Prince William was spotted signing the proclamation documents with his left hand. The crowd and the cameras all witnessed it during the ascension ceremony. However, unlike his predecessors, the royal family members were never afraid of showing their traits. For many years, people knew about him being a lefty. A throwback image revealed him signing a book with his left hand during his first day at Eton.
Notably, he is not the only royal who boasts this distinctive trait, which is found only in 10% of the population. Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, is also left-handed. However, she is only a distant relative to Prince William and not related by blood. She is married to Prince Edward. One thing is evident: this unique trait found its true place amongst the British royals. Queen Victoria and even King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth, were left-handed.
Happy #LeftHandersDay! 💁♀️ Queen Victoria is one of the most famous historical lefties. Although she wrote with her right hand, she painted with her left, which indicates she was made to switch as a child, as was sadly common in the Victorian era. pic.twitter.com/rZpcyN0jfR
— Historic Royal Palaces (@HRP_palaces) August 13, 2019
However, the earlier generations of the British monarchy haven’t been too forgiving towards them. It has been reported that they were taught to write with their right hands and hide the trait. Why was left-handedness considered a stigma in the past?
According to thelist.com, history has always deemed left-handedness as a “negative” approach. It has been associated with negative connotations and even evil. The beliefs are deeply rooted in superstition, which gave rise to the concept that being left-handed was unnatural and unfortunate.
According to Merriam-Webster, the word “Sinister,” in fact, originated from a Latin word that translated into “on the left side, unlucky, and inauspicious. These superstitious beliefs spread like wildfire during the medieval era. Needless to say, many powerful cultures were influenced by these beliefs, including the British royal traditions. These Middle Ages beliefs also influenced certain practices in the 19th century, such as Queen Victoria using her right hand to write. However, she used her left hand to paint, indicating that it was her dominant hand.
Happy #LeftHandersDay! 🙌 Many monarchs in history were lefties, including King George II, Queen Victoria, who wrote with her right but painted with her left, and George VI, who was made to write with his right hand but still played tennis left-handed. 💁♂️ pic.twitter.com/LZpuMtsxCG
— Historic Royal Palaces (@HRP_palaces) August 13, 2018
This practice continued in the next century when King George VI turned out to be a naturally left-handed royal. According to the Lancet, he was forced to write with his right hand based on some assumptions. Lancet also reported that this coerced practice may have subsequently affected his stutter, which was shown in the movie The King’s Speech.
Even his biographer, Sir John Wheeler-Bennett, supported this theory. In his book, he wrote that the duke did not suffer from stuttering when he was a young child. However, around the age of 7 or 8, he began showing the signs. The author suggests that it could be “attributed to his being naturally left-handed and being compelled to write with his right hand.”
However, over the years, the stigma and superstition became outdated. And it has opened the way for Prince William to embrace his natural left-handedness.
