TL;DR:
- Princess Charlotte is the “spare” to Prince George’s “heir.”
- Prince Harry said he’s concerned at least one of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children will end up like him as the “spare.”
- A royal expert says Prince William and Kate Middleton have had the “spare” dynamic “worked out” by raising Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis as “ordinary children.”
Prince Harry doesn’t have to worry about his niece, Princess Charlotte, having her life defined by being a second child. An expert says Prince William and Kate Middleton have long since had the “spare” dynamic “worked out.”
Prince Harry said he ‘worries’ about the royal family’s ‘other spares’
In an interview with The Telegraph following the release of his Spare memoir on Jan. 10, the Duke of Sussex revealed his concern for the “other spares” in his family.
“As I know full well, within my family, if it’s not us,” Harry said, pointing to his chest, before adding, “it’s going to be someone else.”
The 38-year-old, who lives in Montecito, California, with Meghan Markle and their two children, continued.
“And though William and I have talked about it once or twice, and he has made it very clear to me that his kids are not my responsibility, I still feel a responsibility knowing that out of those three children, at least one will end up like me, the spare. And that hurts, that worries me.”
George, 9, is second in the line of succession behind his father, the Prince of Wales. Charlotte, 7, and Louis, 4, are third and fourth followed by Harry in fifth.
Royal expert says George, Charlotte, and Louis are ‘enjoying’ a childhood William and Harry ‘didn’t get’
“No one would want the next generation to suffer in the way that Harry has suffered,” royal expert Katie Nicholl said in the Jan. 17 episode of Vanity Fair’s Dynasty podcast. “You see that suffering on the pages of his book. It’s not a pretty picture for the royal family.”
The New Royals author continued, saying the Prince and Princess of Wales’ parenting style lends itself to preventing history from repeating.
“I think when you look to the Cambridges and how they are raising their children away from the spotlight in pretty ordinary schools in a pretty cottage [Adelaide Cottage] in the grounds of Windsor, having bucket and spade holidays and teaching them to sail on the broads in Norfolk, actually they are enjoying a childhood that William and Harry just didn’t get to enjoy.”
“And I think that’s why William and Kate are channeling everything they can into raising their children,” Nicholl explained. “With that understanding of who they are as royals and as just ordinary children too.”
“Of course, it does open up the question of the next spare, of Princess Charlotte. And I’m sure that William and Kate have that all worked out,” she concluded.
Princess Charlotte made her first solo public appearance with William and Kate in 2022
2022 was a year of many firsts for Charlotte and her brothers. George, Charlotte, and Louis moved to a new home and started at a new school. In between the changes to their day-to-day lives, Charlotte took a step forward in life as a senior royal.
The 7-year-old made her first solo appearance without George and Louis when she joined William and Kate at the Commonwealth Games. Charlotte watched swimming and hockey and asked a question about medals.
