Prince William and Kate Middleton with Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte.
Photo: Instagram/Matt Porteous
Robert Lacey, who’s written books on the royals, his most recent Battle of Brothers, shares in a new article for People how Prince William and Kate are raising George, Charlotte and Louis, “very conscious of the different destinies awaiting” them.
The “heir and the spare” conundrum has proven difficult for past generations to navigate, evident in Princess Margaret, Prince Andrew and Prince Harry, who all grappled with their public roles.
Lacey has spoken of the above, which has “blighted” three generations. So too have other royal observers, including Andrew Morton who authored the 1992 biography Diana: Her True Story, and mostly recently Elizabeth & Margaret: the Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters.
“Harry is being far more proactive in using his name and popularity to advance causes in a way Margaret never did,” Andrew Morton previously said of royal rifts, past and present, in an interview with the publication. “She (Margaret) much preferred to be carousing until four in the morning.”
He says: “In both cases, you have one sibling who pushes boundaries, while the other is more cautious.”
“The heir and the spare,” he asserts.
“William is working with Kate to help all their children develop what they find personally fulfilling,” Lacey says, however, which means splitting their time between Kensington Palace in London — where George and Charlotte go to school, while Louis is at kindergarten — and Anmer Hall in Norfolk, in order to spend quality time with their children.
He says: “As royal parents, both Kate and William have focused on… working to ensure that all three of their children enjoy the peaceful childhood that eluded William and Harry.”
READ NEXT | The heir and the spare: How Harry and William’s royal rift is not unlike Margaret and the queen’s
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