Prince William and Princess Catherine are keeping a close eye on their daughter Princess Charlotte and trying to do everything in their power to stop her from facing the same struggles as Prince Harry.
Growing up, Will and Harry were labeled “the heir and the spare” pretty early on. And it’s a classification that stuck… clearly wounding Harry so much he used it as the name of his bitter memoir.
Now that Charlotte is 10 years old, she’s quickly becoming more aware of her “spare” identity in the royal lineage (after big brother and future heir Prince George). So her parents are trying to navigate the tricky situation as best as possible. Royal biographer Robert Hardman told People on Wednesday:
“The late Queen [Elizabeth II] was always very conscious of that extraordinary and challenging role of the No. 2.”
Related: Palace Releases Rare Statement Hitting Back At Prince Harry!
While William and Kate Middleton have shown Harry little empathy for his plight of late, the Queen understood how difficult it can be:
“That’s why she had a particular soft spot for [her sister] Margaret, for [her son] Andrew and Harry. She understood being second place in a strictly hierarchical family and institution has its challenges. Everyone is conscious of that.”
Interesting that the Prince and Princess of Wales have so much compassion and understanding for their daughter and NONE for Harry, who arguably had a worse case of being considering the spare — since there were only two siblings. At least Prince Louis is in a similar boat with Charlotte!
Nevertheless, William considers one of his most important jobs right now not just “preparing to be King himself but to make the whole royal existence approachable and not scary for all his children.” So, he clearly gets Harry had a tough time. Too bad they’re still so estranged!
In Harry’s aptly titled memoir Spare, the Duke of Sussex recalled what it was like growing up in The Firm as “the Plan B,” writing:
“I was the shadow, the support, the Plan B. I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy.”
He added:
“My family had declared me a nullity. The Spare. I didn’t complain about it, but I didn’t need to dwell on it either. Far better, in my mind, not to think about certain facts… But no one gave a damn whom I traveled with; the Spare could always be spared.”
All of this created a lot of tension between the brothers — which has never gone away.
So… how can the royal family do something different this time around?
For one, it helps that the little girl is the first female royal not to lose her place in the line of succession to a younger brother! This was thanks to the Succession to the Crown Act established in 2013, two years before she was born. This means she is currently third in line for the throne.
It’s also expected Charlotte might one day be offered the title of princess royal, just like Princess Anne, though it will be up to her if she accepts it. The royal author noted:
“People wonder why the Queen didn’t make Prince Philip prince consort. Well, he didn’t want it.”
Another royal source pointed out:
“It could either be seen as an antiquated title or something steeped in history that they will want to respect.”
Either way, Kate and Will are trying to raise their kids with “a balance between private life and duty,” a source shared, with a family friend explaining:
“Getting the family right is absolutely critical, particularly in terms of what the nation expects of them.”
They have plenty of time to worry about what royal responsibilities Charlotte (and Louis) will get in the future. Now, it seems imperative they keep the kids connected and ego-free to avoid what happened with Will and Harry!
Thoughts? Do U think these siblings might one day face the same fate as their dad and uncle? Sound OFF (below).
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