With big brother Prince George set to become King one day, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are in the same position as their uncle, Prince Harry, great aunt Princess Anne, and great uncles Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. These royal “spares” have all carved their own paths in life, but when it comes to Prince Andrew, one of his former aides claims that the Royal Family could have done more to guide him.
Writing for the iPaper, veteran royal reporter Richard Palmer noted that Prince William and Princess Kate are finding themselves in a unique position as they are set to lead a more modern, slimmed-down monarchy. All four of Queen Elizabeth’s children supported their mother as working royals, but as the family has seen with Prince Harry stepping down from his role, that might not necessarily be the case for all of William’s kids.
“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,” Palmer wrote.
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Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are pictured at the 2024 Together at Christmas concert.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte are pictured at King Charles’s 2023 coronation.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
And even if they do choose to support the Crown—as seems likely given the small number of royals available to help the future King William and Queen Catherine these days—Prince Andrew’s former aide said that the support given to them by the palace needs to be stronger.
“There’s a lesson for all spares to the heir in this, and the people who advise them,” the source said of the Duke of York’s many misfortunes. He added that royal spares “are expected to just get on and do the job but they’re often woefully equipped to do it,” suggesting that it could fall on aides “to do more of the heavy lifting, to try to keep them on the straight and narrow.”
However, Queen Elizabeth’s former press secretary, Ailsa Anderson, told the media outlet that the Prince and Princess of Wales will be keen to avoid mistakes of the past. “William and Catherine, to a certain extent, are going to rip up the rule book and do it their way,” she said.
