Prince William and Princess Kate are Careful for Charlotte and Louis Not to Feel Like "Spares"
Royal expert Phil Dampier says the royals see Prince George as "first among equals."
In a refreshing break from royal tradition, the Prince and Princess of Wales are championing a "first among equals" approach to raising the heir to the throne, Prince George, alongside his siblings. Their secret ingredient? Making sure Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis shine just as brightly as their big brother.
"Obviously he is the most important one," royal author Phil Dampier told the Sun's Fabulous magazine of George, 11. However, he noted that it seems that "William and Kate see George as primus inter pares—first among equals."
"Yes, he is the future King, but the way things are going Charlotte and Louis may have major roles in the future," the royal expert continued. "Certainly the Royal Family will need them as they are getting thin on the ground."
As biographer Robert Hardman told Marie Claire in January, the core group of working royals has "become more than slimmed down" in recent years after Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Prince Andrew have all stepped back as senior royals. Like Princess Anne and Prince Edward do for their brother The King, Prince Louis, 6, and Princess Charlotte, 9, will likely take on royal duties in the same vein to support George one day.
The Wales kids made their most recent public appearance on Christmas Day 2024.
The couple is keen to let Louis and Charlotte's personalities shine, as seen during The King's 2023 coronation.
"Prince Harry always felt like ‘the spare’ but perhaps that won’t happen with Charlotte and Louis as there are two of them and they will support each other, as well as George," Dampier added. "Kate has always been close to her siblings and she wants her children to share the same sort of bond."
With Prince George turning 13 in 2026, his parents have to make a big decision about where he'll go to school next. Currently, he attends the Lambrook School in Berkshire with his siblings, and rumors have been swirling that Kate will break from tradition and look at co-ed options for George moving forward, keeping all three kids together.
The decision to keep all three children at the same school would be a heartwarming one, but is also a practical solution. As Dampier explained, "Sending them all to the same school—as they go to now—would make sense for looking after each other but also for security reasons. It will be easier to protect them all at the same school."
Princess Charlotte, in particular, has already shown leadership qualities within the family dynamic. Dampier shared that "Charlotte, who of course is third in line to the throne, is already a strong character," adding that he "can see her looking after both her brothers at school and just being there when they need her."
