Princess Charlotte’s place in the history books is very significant – all because her role as ‘spare‘ looks very different to what we have previously seen in the British monarchy.
Aged just 10, Princess Charlotte already holds a very important role in the changing monarchy.
Princess Charlotte’s important role as ‘spare’
Despite Princess Charlotte’s life being fairly normal for a royal tween, Charlotte’s role, as third in line to the throne, is very unique.
“For the first time in British history, the spare is a princess, even though she has a younger brother,” said historian Dr. Nige Fletcher in a new Channel 5 documentary, as per the Daily Mail.
“Princess Charlotte is in line after George, after a change in the law, and she now outranks her brother, Louis.”
The new law, which was passed ahead of Prince George’s 2013 birth, threw out male primogeniture.
This means that princesses keep their place in the line of succession, regardless of if they have younger brothers.
Changes to the line of succession explained
By definition, primogeniture means: “The right of succession belonging to the firstborn child, especially the feudal rule by which the whole real estate of an intestate passed to the eldest son.”
In the documentary, historian and author Tom Quinn discussed how Prince William and Princess Kate’s children are faced with a very different existence within the monarchy.
Dramatically different to that of the king, Prince Andrew, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Princess Anne was not the “spare” to King Charles, despite being born after him. Because she was a girl, her younger brother Andrew was next in line.
Tom Quinn explains that with George, Charlotte and Louis, the new rule “will make things a lot easier because there won’t be two males like two deer clashing antlers anymore”.
George, Charlotte and Louis’ future
Queen Elizabeth II’s former press secretary Ailsa Anderson also weighed in on the topic, explaining that because of the change, George, Charlotte and Louis will have more “freedom and choice than their father had”.
The documentary comes after Prince William lifted the lid on his thoughts on Prince George as king, in an episode of The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy.
When asked about how he feels about Prince George’s future, he told the actor: “It’s an interesting question and it’s a big question that one. Because there’s lots of things to think about with that. But obviously, I want to create a world in which my son is proud of what we do, a world and a job that actually does impact people’s lives for the better.”
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