Prince William and Princess Kate are preparing for a big move in the coming weeks as they relocate from Adelaide Cottage to Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park—and along with their new home, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have plenty of other changes coming their way. George, 12, will leave his siblings behind when he starts secondary school next September, and as the years move on, the future King will be introduced to royal life in a more official way. But for Charlotte, 10, and Louis, 7, their paths are slightly more uncertain.
Royal biographer Robert Hardman and co-host Kate Williams did a deep dive on royal "spares" in the latest episode of the Daily Mail's "Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things" podcast. "It is said that the Prince and Princess of Wales are very concerned," he said, speaking about George, Charlotte and Louis and how they'll be treated differently.
"Of course, Prince George is the heir, and that's the way it's going to be," Hardman continued. "It's a hereditary, hierarchical, constitutional monarchy. You can't change that. But there are ways I think, in which you can try and ensure that you don't leave the younger ones feeling they are any less loved or any less relevant."
Prince William, Princess Kate, Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte are seen at the VE Day 80th anniversary commemorations in May 2025.
Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are seen at The King's coronation in 2023.
"They're just going to have to accept their career path is going to be different," Hardman added, referring to Louis and Charlotte.
As for their potential jobs, former royal butler Grant Harrold recently shared that he wouldn't be surprised if the Prince and Princess of Wales supported their younger children not becoming full-time working royals. "I think that's something that their father and mother will support," Harrold said, speaking on behalf of Study Dog. "I think the days of the royals having to be royals and do what other royals do will be gone."
At the end of the day, Charlotte and Louis have each other, as royal biographer Christopher Andersen told Harper's Bazaar. Speaking about William and Kate, he shared that they "pretty much lavish equal attention on all three, while at the same time nurturing their distinct and different personalities."
Andersen continued that the "good thing is that Charlotte and Louis can share the burden [as spares], if one wishes to call it that."
