As soon as the King handed over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Corps this week, Prince William took his new title and jumped in an Apache helicopter.
The Prince of Wales, who was an RAF search and rescue pilot for three years, effortlessly flew the aircraft – prompting one fan to call him the ‘very definition of a manly hunk.’
But William is far from the first royal to set pulses racing with a dashing appearance in uniform.
Prince Harry, who served two tours of Afghanistan in the Army, got fans excited when he played rugby shirtless while wearing his camouflage trousers.
And although Prince Edward famously quit the Royal Marines’s training regime after just four months, he still found the time to look good in uniform.
As for King Charles, he looked very dashing in his younger years when he served in both the Royal Air Force and Navy.
Prince William
As soon as the King handed over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Corps this week, Prince William took his new title and jumped in an Apache helicopter
Prince William arrives at the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop earlier this week
Prince William joined the Army’s Blues and Royals in 2006 after training at Sandhurst.
The Palace said at the time that William was attracted by the regiment’s record in recent conflicts, including the Falklands War, the 1991 Gulf War and operations in Northern Ireland.
He went on to serve with the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy before leaving active service in 2013.
Beyond his military pursuits, William has also impressed on a motorbike. He was snapped riding his Ducati 1198S after playing in a polo match in 2009.
The Prince of Wales speaks to service personnel after the King gave him the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Corps
William speaks to servicemen and women as he wears Army Air Corps uniform
Prince William, foreground, marches with other graduates, during the Sovereign’s parade at Sandhurst in 2006
Prince William leaves a charity polo march on a Ducati motorbike in 2009. He is often likened to an action man
Prince Harry
Even though Harry swapped life as a working royal for sunny California, he is undoubtedly seen as a royal hunk by many fans.
In his twenties, Harry was frequently spotted smoking, drinking and cavorting with women – acts which won him the reputation of a ‘royal rebel’.
Prince Harry plays rugby in Afghanistan in 2008. He undertook two operational tours of duty in the country
The Prince spent ten years in the Army and served as an Apache helicopter co-pilot and gunner during his second tour of Afghanistan
But it was during his military service that the Duke of Sussex truly left the nation swooning.
The young prince was pictured shirtless playing rugby in Afghanistan in his cargo trousers.
Harry was in the Army for ten years and undertook two tours of Afghanistan.
Much like his older brother, Harry can fly a helicopter and also served as an Apache co-pilot and gunner.
Prince Harry races out of a tent to scramble his Apache with fellow pilots
Harry in his apache helicopter in Afghanistan in 2012
Prince Edward
It is a long standing tradition for the men of the royal family to serve in the Armed Forces.
After leaving Cambridge University in 1986 with a history degree, Prince Edward entered training with the Royal Marines – although he famously quit after just four months.
Edward made quite a stir during his short time there and was pictured looking dashing in his uniform.
Prince Edward trains with the Royal Marines after leaving Cambridge University with a history degree
The young royal famously quit the Royal Marines after four months, instead opting for a career in theatre
The Palace said the Prince’s decision to leave came after he ‘concluded that he does not wish to make the service his long-term career’.
Instead, Edward pursued his passion for theatre, working as a production assistant at the Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Theatre Company.
Today he is a patron of the National Youth Theatre alongside Sir Elton John and Sir Ian McKellen.
Arthur Chatto
As the grandson of Princess Margaret, Arthur Chatto made his first royal appearance as a Page of Honour for the late Queen, responsible for carrying her gowns at ceremonial events.
Arthur wears his uniform while paying his respects to the late Queen
Arthur Chatto, a grandson of Princess Margaret, is a qualified personal trainer
Arthur Chatto attends the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with his parents Lady Sarah and Daniel Chatto, May 2018
Arthur on a hike as he prepares for for the 2,000-mile GB Row Challenge, which he completed in 2020
Chatto made history in 2021 when he became the first member of the royal family to join the Royal Marines. Above: The fit royal in training
Arthur, left, smiles as he completes the 2,000-mile GB Row Challenge in 2020
The young man, who later attended Eton College, is 30th in line of succession.
He made history in 2021 when he became the first member of the royal family to join the Royal Marines.
Now aged 25, Arthur has started to turn heads for a different reason.
The youngest son of Princess Margaret’s daughter Lady Sarah is a qualified personal trainer and his commitment to fitness is clear.
Daniel was part of a four-man squad that completed an epic row around the UK to raise money for The British Red Cross and Just One Ocean in 2020.
He reportedly embarked on 20-mile hikes and camped in the Scottish Highlands in preparation for the 2,000-mile GB Row Challenge, which took 38 days.
Prince Carl Philip of Sweden
William’s crown as the most handsome princely hunk is less secure when you look further afield – and specifically at Sweden.
Prince Carl Phillip, 44, is the second child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.
Prince Carl Phillip and his son attend a christening at Drottingholm Palace Chapel. The Swedish royal has settled down with his wife Sofia and three children
Prince Carl Phillip, a keen racing driver, is seen competing in a regional Porsche Carrera Cup championship
Carl Phillip lifts his car after racing in the DD2 Masters Class in the Lidkoping Open karting competition in 2019
The Prince arrives to an exhibition in London. His good looks have been likened to Hollywood heartthrobs such as Henry Cavill and Jamie Dornan
A keen race-car driver, cross country skier and former lieutenant in the navy, Carl Phillip’s athletic physique paired with his movie-star good looks has gained him many adoring fans.
Indeed the ‘Prince Carl Phillip’ hashtag has now been viewed over 110 million times on TikTok alone.
He often draws comparisons to Hollywood heartthrobs such as Henry Cavill and Jamie Dornan.
After 12 years in the Swedish navy’s amphibious corps, Carl Philip studied graphic design in Stockholm, before spending a year at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design in Providence.
He also has a master’s degree in Agricultural and Rural Management, which has given much of his royal charitable work a conservational focus.
Carl married model Sofia Hellqvist in 2015 and the pair have three sons together.
King Charles III
Although the unveiling of his new portrait might make it hard to believe, the King was also quite a hunk in his day.
After completing a history degree at Cambridge, much like his brother Prince Edward later did, Charles served in both the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy.
Charles walks to a helicopter flying lesson with his instructor Alan McGregor, 1974
The future King sis in the cockpit of a Royal Navy helicopter in Somerset
Charles takes part in a two-week parachute training course at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire
The royal straps himself into a mock parachute in preparation for the jump. Charles had already been made the Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment
Charles (left) training for the parachute jump with his younger brother Prince Andrew (right)
The Prince of Wales makes his way to board an aircraft to complete a parachute jump, 1971
Charles joined the Royal Air Force in March 1971 and gained his wings after a training period which saw him complete a parachute jump (above)
It was in a dayglo red trainer aircraft known as the Red Dragon that King Charles flew solo for the first time. As the Prince of Wales, Charles made his first flight in the tandem, two-seat aircraft on January 14, 1969
He completed his first parachute jump in 1971 and repeated the feat in 1978, after being appointed as Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment.
In the Navy, he served on frigates HMS Minerva and HMS Jupiter before qualifying as a helicopter pilot.
His naval career culminated in the 10-month command of the 360-ton Minesweeper HMS Bronnington.
Prince Andrew
Given his status as a royal outcast due to his friendship with paedophile Jeffery Epstein and the sex assault allegations levelled at him by Virginia Giuffre, it is hard to believe that Andrew was once considered an attractive member of the Royal Family.
The Prince flew missions as a Sea King helicopter pilot during the Falklands War but his good looks were particularly on display when he returned from the conflict.
As the Queen welcomed her son back by handing him a red rose, Andrew promptly placed it in his mouth.
Prince Andrew starts a new job as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot
Prince Andrew puts a rose in his mouth after being handed it by his mother the Queen on his return from the Falklands
From left to right, the Queen, Prince Andrew, Prince Phillip and Princess Anne after the Prince’s return from the Falkland Islands
In a since deleted post on his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson’s Instagram, Andrew spoke of his time in the Falklands.
He said: ‘So whilst I think back to a day when a young man went to war, full of bravado, I returned a changed man.
‘I put away childish things and false bravado and returned a man full in the knowledge of human frailty and suffering.’