The surprising royal who almost beat Harry for this racy award

Prince Harry has been voted the world's 'sexiest royal' in a People magazine poll, but a surprising royal contender almost beat him.

The Duke of Sussex has long been considered a heartthrob in the British royal family, both for his looks and boyish charm.

In recent years he's settled down and taken on the role of dad to son Archie, but he's still widely regarded as a royal hottie.

People readers agreed, voting him 'Sexiest Dad Alive' last year and 'Sexiest Royal' this year, but he had some stiff competition.

For a daily dose of 9Honey, sign up here to receive our top stories straight to your inbox

Coming in at second place was Crown Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, who has been nicknamed 'the hot prince' on several occasions.

Though he's not as well known as his British counterpart, Carl Philip is a heartthrob in his own right.

He has been described as a cross between Jamie Dornan and Henry Cavill (yes, really) with the added bonus of a royal title.

Though he's unlikely to become Sweden's monarch – that role will go to his elder sister and her children first – his royal connections are enviable.

And, you know – he's super good looking, so it's no wonder people were eager to see Carl Philip take out the title of 'Sexiest Royal'.

Unfortunately for the single ladies of Sweden, the prince is very happily married to wife of five years, Princess Sofia.

The pair married on June 13, 2015 in the Royal Chapel of Stockholm Palace, following a private dinner held for guests the night before.

At the time, the princess – then simply Sofia Hellqvist - was a 'commoner' but a celebrity in her own right, having starred on reality TV and worked as glamour model.

Sound like someone else we know who married into the royal family after a successful public career of her own?

Yes, Carl Philip and Harry share more than just their good looks – they both married beautiful, if not slightly controversial, royal outsiders.

Now both men are happily married with children and being named "royal hotties" by their fans.

But royal life isn't just about looking good, and both men have been pursuing important charitable causes even during the coronavirus lockdown.

Carl Philip and Sofia have tuned into important royal engagements from their own work-from-home setup, while Harry is embracing his new life in the US.