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Prince William and Kate Middleton are determined to ensure their kids have a better childhood than Prince Harry, who harbors the grievance of growing up as the royal spare. The Duke of Sussex went on another rant aimed at the royal family last week, during his BBC interview in the wake of losing his appeal to have his UK police protection reinstated. Speaking to the outlet, Harry expressed disappointment at losing the court case, which could potentially mean his kids may never visit their homeland. He went on to comment on the royal feud, admitting that his dad kept refusing to speak with him, ultimately giving the world firsthand information about the state of the royal dispute, which they would rather have kept private.
The exiled prince also insisted that his dad had a hand in the UK government’s decision to strip him of security privileges. While his comments seemingly explained his stance on the security dilemma, many within the royal circle have condemned Harry’s actions. Although the royal family has failed to react to Prince Harry’s latest revelations about the monarchy, palace insiders have revealed that the royals considered it to be in “poor taste.” Ultimately, it gives the royals grounds to trust him even less, despite the Duke’s claims that he wanted to reconcile with his royal family.
Prince William and Kate Middleton Take New Approach to Parenting
Insiders believe this latest move would have especially upset the late Queen Elizabeth II, as it betrayed everything she and the rest of the royals stood for. This has left Harry’s brother, Prince William, more determined than ever to spare his kids from this nightmarish situation in the future.
According to royal expert Hilary Fordwich, the heir apparent, Prince William, who shares three children with his wife Kate Middleton, is now committed to parenting his kids cautiously to avoid the “heir and the spare” nightmare. She told Fox News,
“Prince William is particularly determined to do all he can to avoid the ‘heir and spare,’ which has caused so many royal nightmares over the generations.”
The world has seen the “heir and spare’ situation play out between King Charles and his brother Prince Andrew, with the latter’s questionable actions over the years being a source of embarrassment to the royal family. The situation seeped into the relationship between Prince William and his brother Prince Harry, who acknowledged the hellish nightmare of growing up as the “spare” son in his 2023 memoir, Spare. In the bestselling book, Harry alluded to how his dad, King Charles, made an offhanded comment about giving him an heir and a spare to his then-wife Princess Diana after his birth. The book highlighted how Harry was treated as just that throughout his years growing up within the royal fold, until his eventual decision to break away from the royals in 2020.
While the royals consider Prince Harry’s smear campaign following Megxit as the actual betrayal, Fordwich believed Prince William acknowledges that the pitfall stems from his disturbed childhood and pent-up grievances over the years. Hence, the Prince and Princess of Wales are determined to do things differently when it comes to raising their own kids. Fordwich claimed,
“He and Princess Catherine are focused on the importance of ‘normal’ simple childhood moments, such as family chores together, cooking, family holidays, sports, and time in nature. They are keen on country walks and bonfires, very British traditions.”
Princess Charlotte Billed to Avoid This Royal Dilemma
The royal expert revealed that Prince William and Kate Middleton have applied this parenting tactic in raising their daughter, Princess Charlotte, who turned 10 on May 2, the same day Prince Harry granted his BBC interview. They have imbibed a “combination of adherence to traditional royal values of duty and public service as well as a close-knit, loving, nurturing approach.” This, they hope, would ensure the youngster, who is third in line to the throne after her older brother Prince George, and the first woman ever to rank over a brother in the British line of succession, would never perceive herself as the “spare.” That way, the royal family could avoid another nightmarish dilemma, as experienced in the case of “her wayward uncle,” Prince Harry.
Fordwich’s comments come just days after a People cover story in honor of the young princess’s birthday delved into the future that awaited her as the “royal spare.” The article pointed out that the 10-year-old was vulnerable to the struggles her uncle, Prince Harry, admittedly experienced growing up in the royal family, alongside his brother and future King, Prince William.
While the majority of these factors may be beyond anyone’s control, especially when one considers that these royals are mostly subjected to the world stage, and scrutinized their whole life with no room for redress, a different parenting approach might indeed change the course of history in the case of William and Kate’s kids. Otherwise, the royal family just might continue on the now cliché roller coaster nightmare of the refined, exemplary “heir” and the wayward “spare” for yet another generation.
