Princess Kate mindful of avoiding ‘spare’ curse for Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

The Princess of Wales is “acutely aware” of the possible problems lurking for a “royal spare” and thus will strive to normalise Prince Charlotte and Prince Louis’s lives as much as possible as their older brother, Prince George, prepares for his future role as King, a royal expert has claimed.

The ‘heir and the spare’ is a well-known phrase, referring to first-born and second-born children which has been frequently used by royals throughout the years but was recently more popularised by Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare.

Royal expert Jennie Bond praised the Waleses’s parenting approach and said that Prince William and Princess Kate will want their youngest children to make their own path as they navigate life, without being overshadowed by George.
She told the Mirror: “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.

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.”
She added: “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 Duke, who said the term was later often used to describe him, wrote in his memoir: “I heard the story of what Pa allegedly said to Mummy the day of my birth: ‘Wonderful! Now you’ve given me an Heir and a Spare—my work is done.’

“A joke. Presumably. On the other hand, minutes after delivering this bit of high comedy, Pa was said to have gone off to meet with his girlfriend. So. Many a true word spoken in jest.