As Prince Louis celebrates his eighth birthday today (April 23), attention has turned back to Prince Harry’s candid remarks about his niece and nephews, and the concerns he once shared about their future within the royal family.
Amid his very public fallout with the Firm, the Duke of Sussex has spoken openly about his long-standing discomfort with being labelled the “spare”.
In doing so, he sparked debate by suggesting that Prince George’s younger siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, might one day face similar struggles.
Harry’s comments on Charlotte and Louis raised eyebrows
The remarks were made during a 2023 interview with The Telegraph, as Harry promoted his memoir Spare. Despite acknowledging that Prince William had set clear boundaries, Harry admitted he still felt a personal sense of concern for the younger royals.
“William and I have talked about it once or twice. He has made it very clear to me that his kids are not my responsibility,” Harry said. “I still feel a responsibility knowing that out of those three children, at least one will end up like me, the spare, and that hurts, that worries me.”
The comments quickly became a talking point. Royal watchers suggested they were unlikely to have gone down well behind palace doors.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! that Harry’s remarks appeared to stem from his own unresolved feelings, rather than the reality facing the next generation.
“Harry has a huge chip on his shoulder about being a spare. We all know that now,” she said. “But he doesn’t have to assume that William and Catherine’s children will feel the same as him.”
She also pointed to other members of the royal family as examples of a different experience.
“Look at the Duke of Edinburgh, and particularly look at the Princess Royal,” she said. “They didn’t feel like the spares. They’ve gone out there and made it clear they don’t feel second-class in the least and worked hard regardless.”
Inside Harry’s experience of being the ‘spare’
Harry’s memoir Spare takes its name from the role he says defined much of his life from the very beginning.
He has made it very clear to me that his kids are not my responsibility.
In the book, he described himself as “the shadow, the support, the Plan B”. He also alleged that his father King Charles once remarked to his mother Princess Diana: “Now you’ve given me an heir and a spare.”
Prince George is expected to one day follow his father onto the throne, with Charlotte and Louis next in line. However, for William and Kate, the focus has consistently been on raising all three children in a supportive and united environment.
William’s focus on a ‘normal’ family life
Sources close to the Prince and Princess of Wales have long maintained that George, Charlotte and Louis are treated equally, regardless of their differing royal paths.
An insider previously told the Daily Mail that their home life is intentionally grounded, with the children encouraged to take part in everyday routines.
“The children help with laying the table, clearing their plates when they’ve finished eating and helping with tidying up,” the source said. “There’s no preferential treatment.”
For Prince William, that sense of balance is key. Having grown up knowing he would one day be king, he has been open about wanting a more down-to-earth upbringing for his own children.
“As far as we are concerned within our family unit, we are a normal family,” William told the BBC in 2016. “I love my children in the same way any father does.”
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