We’re starting to get more conversation around Prince William and Kate’s children and the kids’ dynamics within the monarchy. As in, will Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis be treated as “spares,” neglected and marginalized at the expense of Prince George? If there’s one thing Prince Harry did, it was bring the “spare” conversation front and center for the British monarchy, and I would argue he did the same for other European monarchies as well. Richard Palmer wrote a piece about the Wales “spares” for i News, and Palmer is basically arguing that despite William and Harry’s estrangement, William still heard a lot of what Harry said and William wants to raise his kids with a different kind of dynamic. I disagree that William is doing that, but sure. Here are some excerpts:
William & Kate are breaking the spare cycle? The troubled lives of Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and the late Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret are testimony to the problems this unequal approach can spark, with the younger siblings typically left feeling overlooked and purposeless, dealing with the baggage of constantly having to play second fiddle to their older sibling. Their lack of a defined role has led to reckless behaviour and scandal. In an effort to avoid the emotionally stunted pitfalls of the past, William and Kate are trying to bring up their children differently, often prioritising them over work. It’s a sharp contrast with King Charles, whose sons complained he was always at his desk or on engagements.
Will & Kate’s priority is bringing up well-adjusted children: But, although it has led critics to call them workshy, William and Kate know they have years of official duties ahead of them and, royal sources insist, the monarchy and country will benefit in the longer term if they bring up well-adjusted, resilient children.
Charlotte is already stepping into her royal duties: Ailsa Anderson, a former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, said Charlotte takes after her mother in her love of playing sports such as netball and tennis and events such as Euro 2025 provide her with a natural stepping stone into royal public duties. She said: “It’s a logical conclusion to have her there. Women’s football is becoming more and more popular.”
The spares will be half-in, half-out!! While much of her brother George’s life is mapped out in front of him as a future King, it is by no means clear what, if any, official role Charlotte or her younger brother Louis, seven, will have when they grow up in a world in which European monarchies are slimming down to only a handful of working royals. Insiders are reluctant to predict if the younger children will even end up representing the monarch or will pursue private careers. It would be ironic if Charlotte and Louis ended up with the sort of flexible approach that was denied their Uncle Harry, who after publishing his controversial memoir Spare in January 2023, said in an interview that he felt a responsibility to reform the monarchy for the sake of William and Kate’s children. “I know that out of those three children at least one will end up like me, the spare,” he said. “And that hurts, it worries me.”
They’re admitting that Harry was looking for a way out: By the time Harry was a young man, aides had constructed plans to give him a solid structure through the Army and a distinctive royal role that dovetailed with William’s. But it was too late by then. Harry, psychologically damaged by his parents’ divorce and ultimately by his mother’s death when he was only 12, was already looking for a partial way out when he met Meghan.
Sally Bedell Smith on which kids will become working royals: Sally Bedell Smith, an American royal biographer, thinks it likely that Charlotte will undertake official duties on behalf of the monarch in future and sees her appearances at sports events with her parents as a natural progression. “I think this is an intelligent way to do it,” she said, adding that even in a further slimmed-down monarchy there is likely to be a role for the young princess: “I would imagine Charlotte will be part of the picture. I’m not so sure about Louis.”
C-Word chimes in: Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, thinks the children will have more say over their future than previous generations of royals. “It’s not like it was in Charles’s youth, nowadays children make their own decisions,” she said. “It’s just so different to when even William was brought up. I think children have immense choices now that they didn’t have even 15 years ago.”
More support for spares now: But perhaps most encouragingly for Charlotte and Louis, there is a growing body of palace officials who recognise that they need to do more to support and protect the spares in future. One former close aide to Andrew said that, while the Duke of York was the main author of his own misfortunes, palace staff could have helped him avoid them. “There’s a lesson for all spares to the heir in this, and the people who advise them,” the ex-aide said. “They are expected to just get on and do the job but they’re often woefully equipped to do it. So maybe it falls to us to do more of the heavy lifting, to try to keep them on the straight and narrow.”
This piece repeatedly cites William bringing Charlotte to the EURO final as some kind of proof that the Waleses are breaking the spare cycle. I disagree – I think it showed something else completely, which is that they’re teaching George that he shouldn’t care about women’s sports or “girl things” because he’s the heir. They’ve also consistently singled out George for special treatment for years, even when the event or activity is something all of the kids would enjoy. This isn’t a new way to raise spares, it’s just new branding for the old system. William and Kate have shown for years that they’re incapable of pivoting or changing. And man, it’s really crazy to think that there’s an abundance of acknowledgement that Harry was right about how spares are treated, yet there’s also a huge grudge against Harry for everything that happened.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Kensington Palace’s social media.
