James, Earl of Wessex, 16, is identical to dad Prince Edward in unearthed photo

The British royal family is full of incredible lookalikes, from Princess Eugenie and her great-grandmother, the Queen Mother, to Lady Louise and Queen Charlotte.

Now, an incredible unearthed photo of Prince Edward has proved that he and his son were almost identical, shown in a photograph of the senior royal circa 1980 when he was 16. The images, which you can see side by side below, are uncanny.

Over the years, eager royal watchers have observed James growing up. Now 16 himself, it is impossible for them not to notice the young royal’s resemblance to his father.

Following young Earl James’ royal outing back in May at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, James sparked a slew of comments noting the pair’s family resemblance.

“Hi James, you’re looking more like your dad every day. Time goes fast; glad you enjoyed the day out,” one fan penned. A second added: “He looks so handsome, just like his father.”

Earlier this year, Prince Edward made an incredibly rare comment about James and his 21-year-old daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, in an interview to mark his 60th birthday in March.

He told Alan Titchmarsh: “We’re very lucky; we’ve got two, of what we would think are particularly brilliant children, who are forging such different paths for themselves. I think that’s also equally fascinating.”