A Prince Harry impersonator’s phone ‘hasn’t stopped ringing’ since he was spotted in a trailer for the Princess of Wales’ Christmas Eve carol concert, his proud mother has revealed.
Sergeant Chris Dykes, 37, an RAF reservist, was seen by millions of people in the service trailer and eagle-eyed viewers immediately noticed the striking resemblance between him and the fifth in line to the throne.
Dressed in his ceremonial uniform, Chris was the spitting image of Harry right down to the ginger beard and similar build and height when a preview of the ‘Together at Christmas’ concert appeared on screens ahead of the broadcast.
Delighted mum Janet Wyatt-Sugg, 68, told MailOnline: ‘To be honest, since he grew his red beard about a year ago, I thought he looked a lot like Prince Harry, and especially when he’s in uniform.’ .
“He’s a redhead and I’m a redhead and as a kid he was in the RAF cadets when he was younger and then three years ago he went into the reserves and he was very happy.
Then he grew a beard and one day when he was in uniform I said, ‘God, you look so much like Prince Harry’ and I never thought about it until we saw the trailer and now all his friends and the rest of the family. The unit is calling him Harry.
“His phone hasn’t stopped ringing since he was on TV and I was joking with him, he should see if he can get some work as a Prince Harry lookalike.”
Chris, who transports luxury cars for a living, lives in Monmouth, South Wales, is a member of 622 Volunteer Gliding Squad based at Upavon, near Pewsey in Wiltshire and their motto is ‘Propter, Praemium Patienta the good of the reward). .
A cheerful-looking lookalike of the Prince of Sussex strolls in military uniform outside Westminster Abbey ahead of the Princess of Wales’s Christmas concert.
Sergeant Chris Dykes (left), 37, an RAF reservist, was seen by millions in the service trailer.
The Duke of Sussex’s lookalike, sporting the Prince’s signature red beard, looked jovial as he walked through the entrance to Westminster Abbey. Right: Prince Harry photographed in 2018 wearing full military attire with the Duchess of Sussex and Prince William at Buckingham Palace.
The squadron was formed 80 years ago and is made up of volunteers and provides glider training in the Grob G103A aircraft known as the Viking T1 and earlier this year Chris won the Squadron Cup.
And in recognition, his commanding officer asked him if he would like to go into service and represent the squadron and he gladly accepted.
Janet said: ‘He spends as much time as he can at the base and is always working hard and when he was asked he was very excited.
“Then when we saw the trailer and he was in it and he looked like Prince Harry and the next thing, it all appeared on MailOnline.
“I always thought he looked like Prince Harry, especially when he grew a beard and the resemblance is really striking, especially in uniform.
‘When I saw the photos, it really shocked me. He has always loved the RAF and, when younger, stopped flying solo in a glider at 16. He’s really dedicated.
“Their officer said they only had one place and they offered it to Chris because he had done so well, but then it was a real job trying to sort out the uniform that is called number one from the other side of London.
‘He had to drive from Monmouth there to pick it up, but he loves the RAF and was happy to go.
“We all watched the show but unfortunately you couldn’t watch it during the show, it was just for the trailer at first but all his friends and colleagues watched it and have been calling him Harry ever since.
Dressed in his ceremonial uniform, Chris was the spitting image of Harry right down to his red beard and similar build and height.
Incredible: Prince Harry pictured alongside the Princess of Wales in 2018, wearing full military attire to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force.
The Princess of Wales, pictured wearing an Alexander McQueen coat during the ‘Together At Christmas’ carol service and chatting with singer Paloma Faith, right.
The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, from left, Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte, arrive for the Together At Christmas carol service.
This year’s service is particularly poignant as the 42-year-old royal continues to recover from cancer; Prince William has described 2024 as “probably the most difficult year of my life”
Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and the Princess of Wales hold candles as they sit on a bench at Westminster Abbey during the service.
Other royals also in attendance included Zara Tindall, left, along with her pregnant cousin Princess Beatrice, right, and her husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi and their young son Wolfie.
‘He’s taken it well and is okay with the joke, he didn’t actually meet any of the royals but thought he was sitting behind Richard from the Richard and Judy show.
“He called me on Christmas Day and told me his phone hadn’t stopped because people had been reading and watching it online.”
Chris told MailOnline: “It was a shock to wake up on Christmas Eve and see myself all over the news and it’s not the whole world I’m seeing.”
‘To be honest, I’ve never noticed the resemblance, but my mum has been mentioning it a lot since I grew a beard, but that’s mum to you.
“I’ve gotten a lot of jokes from my friends and I’ve promised the guys in the squad a case of beer, they all think it’s really funny.
“They’ve been calling me Sergeant Harry and Sergeant Windsor and making fun of me, but it’s all in good humour; someone suggested I should try my luck with a double.”
“When I was there, some police and security did a double take, but I’m not sure it was because I look like Prince Harry.
‘The event was very moving and it was a privilege to be asked to take part, it was formal but informal at the same time.
‘I never met Harry; in fact, the only royal I ever met was Prince Philip a few years ago. The only resemblance I can see to Harry is the red beard and thinning hair.