Prince William is the spitting image of his namesake Royal Family member in rare unearthed photos

Prince William looks just like the late royal family member who became the Prince of Wales' namesake.

• Prince William of Gloucester was Queen Elizabeth II's paternal cousin.
• He tragically died in a plane accident in 1972, aged just 30.
• In other royal news, King Charles is 'likely' to pay for Prince Andrew's security after removing Harry and Meghan's.

Prince William Henry Andrew Frederick was born on 18 December 1941 to his parents Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott. He was born fourth-in-line to the throne.

He was the grandson of King George V and the paternal cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. Prince William acted as a page boy, alongside Prince Michael of Kent, for Princess Elizabeth at her wedding to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 1947. And in 1953, he attended the coronation of Elizabeth II.

Now, in unearthed photos, the resemblance between Prince William of Gloucester and the Prince of Wales is clear to see.

In the 1960s, Prince William of Gloucester joined the diplomatic service, serving in Lagos and Tokyo. But due to his father's declining health, he had to return to Britain to help take care of him.

William had a long-running relationship with former model and stewardess Zsuzsi Starkloff. The last time they met in person was in August 1970. But despite the alleged reluctance of senior members of the Royal Family to take William's relationship with her seriously, the standards regarding marriage in the Royal Family at the time were no longer as strict as they had once been. 

According to reports, Princess Margaret told William to ‘wait a bit’ and to ‘see how everything looks’ once he returned to Britain.

But unfortunately in 1972, while competing in the Goodyear International Air Trophy, the wing of pilot William's plane sheared off after hitting a tree. The out-of-control plane flipped over and crashed into an earthen bank and burst into flames. 

The crash happened before 30,000 spectators, with the fire taking two hours to get under control. The bodies of those in the plane were identified at an inquest the next day from dental records. 

Prince William was well-regarded as a daredevil prince. He enjoyed several dangerous hobbies, such as flying, ballooning, and hiking in the Sahara Desert. At the time of his death, he was ninth in line to the throne. His tragic death made him the first grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary to die and he is buried at the Royal Burial Ground in Windsor.

Prince William was close to the now King Charles III, and many royal experts believe that is why he and Princess Diana chose to name their first son William. The fact that Prince William of Gloucester had Henry as a middle name suggests that they also named Prince Harry, whose real name is Henry, after him too.