Lord Eddy Downpatrick: The royal family has been hiding this serious hottie

With Prince Harry happily married, it’s time to search for the next in line for the title of His Royal Hotness. And we think we’ve found him.

The scene: A lake in Scotland.

A man in his late 20s, bearded and bare-chested plunges in. He turns and smoulders, the icy water dripping down his rippling muscles … Meet Lord Eddy Downpatrick, a member of the extended royal family and Class-A dish.

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With Prince Harry now firmly ensconced in married life and Prince William long-wed, there has been something of a dearth of hotness around Buckingham Palace. However, thanks to team whimn.com.au’s tireless hard work (read: obsessively scouring Tatler) we are pleased to report that tucked away in the Windsor family is the delectable Eddy.

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While you might not know his name, the 29-year-old has serious blue blood running through his veins.

His grandfather is Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent (who is the Queen’s first cousin) and one day young Eddy will assume the Dukedom.

Princess Diana was his godmother and he has been regularly photographed attending royal weddings. (Royal “It” girl Lady Amelia Windsor is his sister.) Princess Beatrice, according to reports, is quite the chum.

In an interview with social bible Tatler earlier this year, Eddy said he had had a relatively normal upbringing — except for the bodyguards and police who surrounded his royal grandfather which was “the only real hint that there was something different going on”. (The same interview, it should be noted, where he was photographed in the aforementioned lake doing his best Mr Darcy impersonation.)

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Eddy attended Eton and Oxford (obviously) where he studied French and German and played rugby with a reported ferocity. Numerous sporting injuries prevented him from joining the army so he did what any well-connected young man with a cupboard full of Saville Row three-piece suits and a working knowledge of Goethe does — he became an investment banker.

However, the sexy toff had bigger ideas and recently launched a fashion label called FIDIR which sells upscale T-shirts, jumpers and bags.

The royal family sure has some good genes. Picture: Instagram.com/fidirstore

In fact, it’s Eddy’s foray in the design world that we have to thank for his emergence into the spotlight.

A series of stories spruiking his clothing line have thankfully helped expose his sheer hotness to the world beyond the confines of Chelsea and Belgravia cocktail parties.

We need this right now.

After a couple of weeks of sordid tabloid stories about ructions between the Cambridges and the Sussexes, we need a lovely heartwarming bit of royal news.

In fact, what we need - I’m just thinking out loud here - is a royal wedding that would see Eddy tie the knot with a lovely lady.

A lovely lady who is, say, an Australian writer with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Windsors and a lot of free time …

— Daniela Elser is a freelance writer and contributor, continue the conversation @danielaelser

— This article originally appeared on whimn.com.au and was reproduced with permission