Is Prince William left-handed and what about other Royal Family members?

COMPARED to right-handers, there are significantly less people that write with their left hand.

However, it's thought that Prince William is on the list of those who use their left hand.

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Is Prince William left-handed?

The short answer is, yes, 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.

What other royals are left-handed?

Prince William is not the only member of the royal family to have been known to write with their left hand.

Other left-handers in the family include Sophie Wessex, the wife of Prince Edward, who is often photographed using her left hand when signing her name.

Also on the list is King George VI, who was naturally left-handed, although he would use his right hand when writing.

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.

William's son Prince George, who he shares with wife Kate, was also pictured using his left hand to play sports when he was younger - although it is not known if he is in fact left-handed like his father.

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 fully 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.