Prince Harry and Prince William Just Had a Rare Matching Moment in Sporty Sunglasses
The Duke of Sussex's shades at the Grand Prix in Austin look similar to the sunnies worn by his brother, the Prince of Wales, at Wimbledon
Did Prince Harry have a rare matching moment with his brother Prince William over the weekend?
The Duke of Sussex, 39, stepped out at the Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas on Sunday wearing what appear to be Finlay’s grey Marshall sunglasses — the same shades that the Prince of Wales wore to watch sports over the summer. Prince Harry smiled in the sunglasses as he moved through the paddock before the event began, which he attended as a guest of Mercedes F1 at the Circuit of the Americas.
According to a blog post from the brand, Prince William, 41, wore the Finlay Marshall shades in the smoke and grey combination twice in July. On July 1, William kept the sun out of his eyes in the glasses at the England vs. Australia cricket match at the second Ashes Test at Lord's in London with Prince George, 10. The second in line to the throne reached for the rectangular specs again a few weeks later, slipping on the sunglasses to watch Wimbledon with his wife, Kate Middleton, and their two eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, 8.
Princess Charlotte adorably brought along a pair of pink sunglasses for her Wimbledon debut, but she followed the royal rule! While sunglasses are a summer staple, members of the royal family usually only wear them while watching sports events. They remove them while meeting staff and athletes to make eye contact — and a warm impression.
Myka Meier, an etiquette expert and the author of the book Modern Etiquette Made Easy, previously told PEOPLE: "Sunglasses — or 'sunnies,' as they are called socially in the U.K. — can be seen on royals during official engagements, but usually only during sporting events when there is an activity or event outside or when needed as eye protection for a sunny climate or environment they are in (think Kate on her royal tour in the Caribbean). They will remove sunglasses as soon as they walk inside, have a prolonged or serious conversation or upon any formal greeting."
"Sunglasses don't allow direct eye contact, which can be seen as a barrier when communicating," Meier continued. "By taking sunglasses off upon meeting, it is seen as a sign of courtesy and respect to the other person."
Prince Harry did the same at the Grand Prix on Sunday, where he went without the glasses to chat with British driver George Russell and Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff before the race began. The Duke of Sussex also visited the Red Bull team garage and spent time talking to Team Principal Christian Horner, the husband of Spice Girl Geri Halliwell-Horner.
Three-time world champion Max Verstappen went on to win the F1 race, of which Harry is known to be a fan. In March 2020, King Charles’ younger son teamed up with F1 driver Lewis Hamilton to open the Silverstone Museum in England, which is dedicated to the past, present and future of British motor racing. The visit was part of Harry’s final round of royal engagements before he and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back from their senior royal roles and relocated to her home state of California.
Meghan, 42, was recently spotted in stylish black sunglasses while arriving at an Atlanta airport with Harry following their quiet Caribbean getaway after their latest trip to New York City. On Oct. 15, the couple walked across the tarmac in casual clothes.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had traveled to the Big Apple on Oct. 10 for World Mental Health Day. There, they toured The Marcy Lab School in Brooklyn, an alternative to college that prepares underrepresented high school graduates for top tech jobs through a yearlong fellowship, and spoke at “The Archewell Foundation Parents’ Summit: Mental Wellness in a Digital Age,” the first in-person event from their Archewell Foundation.
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While fan blog Meghan’s Fashion speculated that the Duchess of Sussex recently wore her square Celine Triomphe sunglasses at the airport, she’s also reached for Finlay in the past. Meghan sported the Finlay Henrietta sunglasses in black at Wimbledon in 2019, and she accessorized with Finlay Percy shades with a tortoiseshell frame at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto during her public couple debut with Prince Harry.
Princess Kate is also a fan of the brand. She slipped on the Henrietta sunglasses in tortoiseshell at Wimbledon in 2022 as well as Prince William’s charity polo match the next day.
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