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Privacy NoticeThe ‘spare to the heir’ is a well-known royal phrase. It means that any child born after their sibling – the heir – is a second to them or seen as a spare part if something should happen. While there have been many famous spares throughout history including the late Queen’s father, King George VI, and her sister, Princess Margaret, the word is now largely tied to Prince Harry’s controversial memoir, Spare. So how does this affect the likes of Princess Charlotte and her younger brother Prince Louis? A royal expert claimed the Prince and Princess of Wales will be striving to “normalise” their lives with the hope that they never feel like working as royals is their only option.
The two young royals have interesting futures ahead of them
(Image: 2023 Getty Images)
While Princess Charlotte is expected to eventually take on a role which is very similar to that of Princess Anne, one commentator suggested that Prince William and Kate will be careful to ensure that Prince Louis does not “go down the Duke of York path” and become a “royal hanger-on”. The two youngest Waleses will one day take on senior roles within the family and likely gain important titles, but it has been suggested that the Prince and Princess of Wales want their children to have more freedom. Royal expert and associate editor at The Telegraph, Camilla Tominey said the couple will want Charlotte and Louis to “have their own careers” if they want to. With their youngest Prince Louis, Camilla said that they won’t want him to “go down the Duke of York path” and become a “royal hanger-on”.
The family have a clever plan for their young children
(Image: Will Warr))
This is a view echoed by former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond who previously told OK!, “William and Kate must be acutely aware of the problems for a royal spare. “They have already shown that they have a different and modern attitude to bringing up royal children and I’m sure they will do everything to make Charlotte and Louis feel every bit as special, loved and valued as George.”
The young royals are being raised equally
(Image: Getty Images)
Jennie continued: “I imagine they will encourage Louis to explore life outside the royal fold… it could be the military, but it could also be working in the charity world or whatever he finds appealing after his education is finished. I’m sure they will encourage him to go to University, which they both enjoyed and where, of course, they found love. “And from there they will want him to find a life that is meaningful to him as well as appropriate for the son of a future King. They will try to ensure that he feels he is living a life of value, irrespective of his place in the line of succession and that will probably involve service of some kind as they have emphasised from the start that they want their children to understand that having empathy with others is not only a kindness, but is rewarding as well.”
The young royals will have important duties in the future
(Image: Getty Images)
In terms of Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis’s future roles within the Royal Family, it is thought that their lives as spares to the throne will be slightly different from previous generations. While this may be the case, a future in royal service – as restricted as it may be at this early stage – is something firmly planted in Charlotte and Louis’s futures. When they both turn 21, they will become eligible to be Counsellors of State. There are four Counsellors of State and they are on hand to step in for the monarch in the event of an emergency. The current Counsellors of State for the King are Queen Camilla, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of York, Princess Beatrice, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal.Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnPrince HarryPrince LouisPrince WilliamPrincess CharlotteKate MiddletonPrince GeorgeSpareWilliam and Kate
