Prince Louis and his older sister, Princess Charlotte, will most likely never be king or queen. Prince George is second in line of succession after his father, Prince William, and is expected to one day lead the British monarchy.
However, even if they never sit on a throne, Louis and Charlotte will play an important part in the Firm as they grow up.
Their estranged uncle, Prince Harry, has already expressed anxiety about Charlotte and Louis’ prospects, publicly stating that they will be the “spare” for Prince George, just as he was for Prince William. However, William and Kate Middleton appear to have taken a different approach to their children’s childhood.
Prince Louis
However, not everyone is convinced by that potential, and one obvious skeptic is a family member who was once extremely close to Louis and his brothers. Louis was just two years old when Harry and his wife left the Royal Family and the country, but the estranged prince has since expressed strong views on his nephew’s future.
In recent years, the expression “spare to the heir” has regained prominence, thanks in large part to Harry. Three years after leaving royal life, in January 2023, he published his book Spare, in which he expressed to the world his view that he would never be seen as important as his older brother, Prince William, who is slated to become King Charles.
The phrase “Spare” has become synonymous with Harry, who even claimed that King Charles used the word the day the estranged prince was born.
However, it did not end there. Harry also wrote about Prince Louis and his older sister, Princess Charlotte, saying that he is concerned about their future. The Duke wrote simply that he fears they would end up like him, a “spare.”
In an interview with The Telegraph to promote his book, Harry opted to talk about William and Kate’s three children.
Prince Harry concerned over Prince Louis’ future
Harry went on: “I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy; I was summoned to give backup, distraction, diversion, and, if required, a substitute part. Kidney, maybe. Blood transfusions. Speck of bone marrow. This was made plainly obvious to me from the beginning of my life’s journey and reaffirmed on a frequent basis after that.”
According to the line of succession, Prince William will succeed King Charles, following which Kate Middleton will become queen. After William, the crown will pass to Prince George, who will be succeeded in line by his siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, as long as he does not have any offspring.
Prince William & Kate Middleton’s plan to avoid ‘Spare curese’ for Prince Louis
While Prince Harry enraged his brother and Kate Middleton with many of the allegations and comments made in his book and previous interviews, royal expert Jennie Bond believes that the Prince and Princess of Wales “must be acutely aware” of the problems that could arise from Prince Louis—and Princess Charlotte—being a “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,” Bond told the British newspaper.
“William & Kate don’t want history to repeat itself”
If he chooses to remain in the royal family, he will most certainly be assigned to a senior position within the monarchy, along with substantial titles.
However, Bond is not the only one who believes Prince Louis will do more than just attend royal events. According to OK!, Camilla Tominey, a royal specialist and associate editor at The Telegraph, stated that Prince William and Kate Middleton will allow Charlotte and Louis to “have their own careers” if they like.
Why is Prince Louis absent from sporting events?
As previously said, Prince Louis has been a popular among royal admirers in recent years. He hasn’t accompanied his parents on many royal engagements, but those he has attended have been exceptional, traditional events like Trooping the Colour or the Christmas Day Service at Sandringham.
Being exposed to public life at such an early age may have detrimental consequences, and William and Kate are allegedly aware of this. Speaking on True Royalty TV’s The Royal, royal analyst Lizzie Robinson stated that Louis is absent from many engagements because the Prince and Princess of Wales are “careful” about presenting him to the public eye.
