Prince William’s ‘curt response’ to Harry when he raised concerns for Princess Charlotte
Prince Harry once voiced concerns to Prince William about Princess Charlotte being a ‘Spare’ to which William refuted, reports state.
Prince Harry raised concerns about being a spare (Image: DOMINIC LIPINSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Prince Harry once voiced concerns to Prince William about Princess Charlotte being a ‘Spare’ like him, which William quickly refuted, it has been claimed. While promoting his memoir Spare in January 2023, Prince Harry said he felt a “responsibility” towards his nephews and niece, knowing that out of those three children, at least one will end up like me, the spare”.
When he voiced these concerns to William, Prince Harry said the future King “made it very clear that the children are not his responsibility”. Helping their daughter Charlotte navigate her position as “spare” has remained a key priority for the Waleses.
Harry said in an interview with the Telegraph: “And though William and I have talked about it once or twice, and he has made it very clear to me that his kids are not my responsibility, I still feel a responsibility knowing that out of those three children, at least one will end up like me, the spare.”
In a Channel 5 documentary, Ailsa Anderson, former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, said the future will be different for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
She suggested they are being raised as equals, which is a “key to unpacking and shifting expectations of our heirs and spares”. The former press secretary also added that they would have more “freedom and choice than their father had”.
In his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry reflected on the pain and identity struggles associated with his role in the Royal Family.
He wrote: “I was the shadow, the support, the Plan B. I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy.”
Reports say Prince Harry once raised concerns about Charlotte growing up as a ‘spare’ (Image: NICHOLLS / AFP via Getty Images)
He shared that being the “spare” led to tension and rivalry with his brother, William, and moments where he felt dismissed or devalued.
“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,” he wrote.
From the start, Princess Charlotte has made history. Born May 2, 2015, she was the first female royal not to lose her place in the line of succession to a younger brother, thanks to the Succession to the Crown Act 2013.
