Prince William and Kate Middleton are doing everything they can to shield their daughter, Princess Charlotte, from facing the same struggles Prince Harry experienced as the royal family’s “spare.”
It’s no secret that the Prince and Princess of Wales are devoted, hands-on parents — and both are acutely aware of the challenges their 10-year-old daughter may face in the future, especially once her older brother, Prince George, ascends the throne.
The royal couple, who celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary last month, is treading carefully with Charlotte’s upbringing in light of the Duke of Sussex’s candid account of life as a “spare,” according to royal biographer Robert Hardman.
“The late Queen [Elizabeth II] was always very conscious of that extraordinary and challenging role of the No. 2,” Hardman, author of “The Making of a King,” told People.
“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.”
Charlotte, who turned 10 last week, is the second eldest child of the Wales trio — with George, 11, leading the pack, while Louis, who turned 7 last month, is the youngest.
According to Hardman, Prince William’s approach to kingship keeps his children front and center.
In fact, Hardman tells the outlet, while the future monarch is “preparing to be king himself,” he is also trying “to make the whole royal existence approachable and not scary for all his children.”
The Post has reached out to Kensington Palace for comment.
The extra-cautious approach comes after Harry left no stone unturned in his tell-all memoir “Spare,” in which he detailed his struggles of being the youngest son of King Charles and the late Princess Diana.
“I was the shadow, the support, the Plan B. I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy,” he wrote in the protocol-shattering book, which was released in Jan. 2023.
“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.”
As Charlotte continues to come into her own, Hardman notes that she could one day hold the title of Princess Royal — similar to the one held by Princess Anne, 74.
However, it will be up to Charlotte to decide whether she wants to accept it.
“People wonder why the Queen didn’t make Prince Philip prince consort. Well, he didn’t want it,” Hardman told the outlet.
