Charlotte THE GREAT!

Why this 'spare's' future will be very different from that of her Uncle Harry

- KERRY PARNELL

Will Princess Charlotte despair at being the ‘spare’, like her controversial uncle? That’s what worries Prince Harry, reportedly.

‘Though William and I have talked about it once or twice, and he has made it very clear to me that his kids are not my responsibility, I still feel a responsibility knowing that out of those three children, at least one will end up like me, the spare,’ he told The Telegraph newspaper. ‘And that hurts, that worries me.’

But is Harry right to be concerned? Will Charlotte – who thanks to changes brought about by The Succession to the Crown Act in 2013 is third in line to the throne after her brother George – really suffer as Harry has? Or will she be more resilient, like her great-aunt, Princess Anne? Royal experts believe it’s more likely the latter, thanks to her stable and loving upbringing.

Certainly, she seems to be a fun-loving, confident and happy child. Charlotte, who turns eight in May, has shown her character from an early age. At three, she famously told photographers they weren’t invited to her brother Louis’ christening party, and in 2019 she was snapped poking her tongue out at onlookers at The King’s Cup Regatta on the Isle of Wight.