Prince Harry has returned to the U.K. and while some aren’t thrilled that the Duke of Sussex is back and in the headlines, others are delighted. Partularly those who look like and dress like the prince for a living.
Yes, you read that correctly. Looking like Harry is actually a job. A man named Rhys Whittock works as the prince’s lookalike and he is sharing what it’s been like for him over the last few years since the duke has been in the news so much.
Speaking in behalf of Heart Bingo Online, Whittock told Showbiz Cheat Sheet, “Originally I grew up in Cardiff, South Wales. I was living in London a few years ago, and now I am living in Canterbury with my family. I started working as a lookalike the day after Harry and Meghan announced their engagement back in November 2017. People kept stopping me on the street and making comments to me over the years about my resemblance to him.
“Back in 2011, I sent my photo off to an agency, but at the time nobody got back to me. Harry wasn’t in the media as much, and there wasn’t as much demand. So when they got engaged, one of the agencies actually kept my name on file, and they emailed me the next day. When they got married in that summer of 2018, it was just super busy … It’s such a varied job. I was even doing [TV appearances and commericals] … I feel like I was born to do the job, strangely. It’s the best job in the world, because it’s so much fun. You get treated like royalty as well everywhere you go. I’ve not got a negative story to say about the whole experience.”
Whittock shared that his mother is a fan of the royals and he hopes to meet Prince Harry one day, saying, “My mum was quite a big fan of the royals. I think she saw the late queen one day when she visited Cardiff. My dad actually went to the same university as Charles when he was Prince of Wales. Charles was a year or two above him, but he was there at the same time as my dad in Aberystwyth. But he never bumped into him in person.
“Hopefully one day it would be great to see Harry and meet him in person. I’m aware that he looks at all the media published about him, so I’m sure he’s come across me a little bit. Hopefully he takes it in good nature.”
When asked what’s the craziest thing he’s ever been booked for as a Prince Harry lookalike, Whittock revealed, “I flew 12 hours to Macau, China for a billionaire’s 75th birthday party. The other lookalikes for Prince William and the late Queen Elizabeth II also came along, so all three of us were in business class at Heathrow Airport about to fly to China. We had a lot of comments from the cabin crew!
“He was one of the richest men in Malaysia and very much a big fan of everything British, so they had tribute acts of Adele and Elton John there as well. They also created a replica set of Buckingham Palace, including the gates and the concrete pillars made from actual metal and stone. The birthday cake was a royal carriage. I was there for 48 hours for a one-hour appearance.”
