How William and Kate are protecting Charlotte from ‘spare’ stigma that has haunted Harry

The Prince and Princess of Wales are working hard to protect daughter Princess Charlotte from the ‘spare’ stigma that has haunted Harry.

Charlotte, 10, is the third in line to the British throne following her father Prince William, 42, and older brother Prince George, 11.

Her inclusion in the line of succession came after a change to the Succession to the Crown Act which was amended in 2013 to make way for females born to members of the British royal family.

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Born in 2015, Charlotte was the first female royal not to lose her place in the line of succession to a younger brother thanks to this change.

And Charlotte isn’t the only ‘spare’ in the family. She is joined by younger brother Prince Louis, seven, who is fourth in line to the British throne.

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Sharing the unofficial title of ‘spare’ may also help protect Charlotte from the resentment Prince Harry felt about his treatment.

The Duke of Sussex famously labelled his tell-all memoir Spare and spoke of his struggle with the label which reportedly came from his father King Charles.

Harry wrote in his book he was 20 years old when he was told his father had said to his mother upon his birth: “Wonderful. You have given me an heir and a spare. You have done your job.”

He also spoke of his brother acting like an ‘heir’ and a feeling that William was being treated differently due to this.

Harry’s resentment was clearly felt by readers of his bestselling book and served as a warning to Charlotte’s parents Prince William and Kate Middleton who have born close witness to the Duke of Sussex’s slow and then complete estrangement from his family.

Keen to prevent similar with their daughter, they Prince and Princess of Wales are reportedly taking steps to ensure their daughter feels equally valued.

“The late Queen [Elizabeth] was always very conscious of that extraordinary and challenging role of the No. 2,” royal biographer Robert Hardman, author of The Making of a King, told PEOPLE in this week.

“That’s why she had a particular soft spot for [her sister] Margaret, for [her son] Andrew and Harry. She understood being second place in a strictly hierarchical family and institution has its challenges,” he said.

“Everyone is conscious of that.”

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The line of succession means the children of the next in line to the British throne take their places ahead of Prince Harry who is now relegated to fifth in line to the the Crown, behind the children of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

“I was the shadow, the support, the Plan B. I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy,” he wrote in the book.

“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 travelled with; the Spare could always be spared,” he added.

The Prince and Princess of Wales share close bonds with their children and take pains to raise each of them equally, at the same time as acknowledging the rules of the royal family they were born into.

A portrait of King Charles, Prince William and Prince George, released upon Charles’ succession, make that clear.

However Princess Charlotte can look forward to playing an important role in the British Royal Family and has an excellent example in the Princess Royal, Princess Anne, 74.

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In fact, Princess Charlotte will inherit the title of Princess Royal when it is deemed appropriate.

And Princess Anne is famously the busiest and one of the most beloved of the royals, working hard to promote causes that are important to the monarch as well as her own interests.

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Anne, 74, declined the offer to give her children Peter, 47, and Zara, 42, royal titles, preferring to give them the freedom to pursue their own goals without the added weight of royalty.

Princess Charlotte way find herself with similar freedom to choose not only her own path, but that of any children she may have in the future.

While Harry’s estrangement from his family and in particular from his brother William is seemingly irreparable, the royals are sure to learn from the experience.

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