Most people think of twins as being identical and hard to tell apart, but two British twin sisters named Maria and Lucy Aylmer have never had that issue. Actually, they have trouble convincing people they are even related most of the time!
Today, at age 24, the sisters find that they often have to produce their birth certificates just to prove they are even sisters, not to mention twins.
Donna Aylmer cried tears of joy in 1997 after learning she would have twin girls. But, following delivery, the new mom was stunned when she saw her girls for the first time.
While Lucy had blue eyes, pale skin, and blue eyes with a freckled complexion, her sister Maria had brown skin, dark curly hair, and big brown eyes.
So how on earth can these two be twins, you wonder?
Maria and Lucy, who were born and raised in Glouchester, England, are the children of interracial parents.
Donn is herself biracial as she’s half Jamaican while their dad Vince is white.
Lucy says that she and her sister gave her mom quite a surprise when she first saw them together.
The twins also have three older siblings, who, according to Lucy, have skin tones somewhere in between her and Maria’s.
The situation puzzled their mom along with many others,s but the scientific explanation behind their appearances is really quite simple.
Whenever a biracial couple is expecting twins, there’s always a 1 in 500 chance those children will develop pigmentation different from each other, reports the BBC.
Lucy and Maria are also not identical twins, but rather fraternal, which means they were fertilized in two separate eggs by two separate sperm from the same person.
Genetically speaking, their mom has genes featuring darker and lighter features, so one twin has pale skin while her sister has darker skin.
During an interview, Lucy told Good Morning Britain that when she and her sisters were7-years-old, they told their mom that they no longer wished to match clothing.
Sadly, because of their contrasting skin color, this led to some very unpleasant moments growing up, especially Lucy.
And, Maria wished she could be more like her sister when she was younger.
The sisters also have very different personalities, as Maria is much more outgoing and studied psychology and law at Cheltenham College.
At the same time, Lucy, more introverted, studied art and design at Gloucester College.
While they are opposites in more ways than one, the two sisters are still as close as you would expect any two twins to be. They are also best friends who learned to see their differences as a source of pride rather than shame.
And as they grow older, they say their bond has only gotten stronger.
While they may look different and no longer dress alike, they do share the same gorgeous smile.
It’s so amazing to see how these two beautiful young women have grown.
Despite a few setbacks, they seem to have the best outlook on life, with a loving family in their corners, and of course, each other.
You can watch a video about their remarkable story below.
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