'Responsibility' Prince Harry felt over Louis and Charlotte as he admitted 'worry'
The Duke of Sussex has been open about the emotional toll that came from being the 'spare'
Prince Harry once made a striking claim about Prince William’s children that royal experts say would have deeply angered his brother.
Amid his very public fallout with the royal family, the Duke of Sussex spoke candidly about his long-held resentment at being the so-called “spare”, and controversially suggested that Prince George’s younger siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, could one day feel the same way.
Prince Harry’s claim about Louis and Charlotte would have ‘angered Prince William’
Harry made the remarks during a 2023 interview with The Telegraph while promoting his memoir Spare. He told the paper that despite William making his feelings clear, he still felt a sense of responsibility toward his niece and nephew.
“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 comment raised eyebrows at the time. While Prince William has never publicly responded, royal commentators believe the remarks would have gone down badly behind palace doors.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! that Harry’s comments were likely driven by his own unresolved pain, but unfairly projected onto 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.”
Jennie pointed out that history offers plenty of counterexamples within the royal family itself.
“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.”
Prince William on ‘normal’ upbringing
Sources close to the Prince and Princess of Wales have long stressed that George, Charlotte and Louis are treated equally, despite George’s destiny as a future king.
One insider previously told the Daily Mail that life at home is far more ordinary than many might expect.
“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, maintaining that balance is essential. Like his eldest son, he grew up knowing the crown would one day be his. He has spoken openly about wanting something different 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.”
Harry’s memoir Spare was named after the label he says followed him from birth.
In the book, he described himself as “the shadow, the support, the Plan B”. He even alleged that King Charles once remarked to Princess Diana: “Now you’ve given me an heir and a spare.”
Prince George will one day follow his father onto the throne, with Charlotte and Louis next in line. But for William and Kate, the priority remains ensuring all three children grow up feeling valued, supported and united.
Read more: Duchess Sophie’s ‘lengthy chat’ with Prince Harry amid her declaration over royal family
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