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- Royals who are not heirs often have trouble knowing who they are. This can cause emotional problems for a long time because they don’t have clear jobs.
- William and Kate are working to make royal parenting fairer. They give equal emotional attention to all their children.
- Prince Louis is growing up in a home where feeling safe emotionally is more important than being royal. This is different from spares before him.
- The Waleses are changing royal tradition. They make sure everyone feels like they belong so their kids don’t feel left out like past spares did when they were young.
- Experts think how they parent could change how the monarchy supports both heirs and those who are not heirs.
Prince Louis, the youngest child of Prince William and Kate Middleton, recently turned seven. As he gets older, people are paying more attention to him, not just because he is funny and charming, but because he shows a big change in how royal “spares” are raised. The youngest royals used to be pushed to the side. They often grew up having a hard time figuring out who they were. But Prince William and Princess Kate seem set on making sure Louis does not face that problem. They are using family closeness, emotional fairness, and an idea of being “first among equals” to stop old ways of doing things in royal life. 
What Does It Mean to Be the “Spare”?
For hundreds of years, royal families, especially in Britain, have had a strict way of deciding who becomes the ruler. The “heir” takes the throne, and the “spare” is there in case something happens to the heir. The spare is born without a clear purpose. Their life has often felt unclear and less important than the heir’s. The old saying “an heir and a spare” was not just a saying. It was once practical. In times that were not stable, it was thought that having a backup child was needed to keep the royal line going.
But today, things are much more stable. So, this old way of doing things feels like it causes more emotional problems than it solves. The word “spare” makes it sound like you are less important. It’s like this idea is marked deeply in the minds of those called that. And the emotional cost is real. Prince Harry’s book Spare (2023) tells a lot about how he felt neglected and pushed aside for years. These feelings seemed to get stronger as his older brother Prince William became the future king.
Prince Harry writes about feeling invisible, left out, and seeing unspoken ranks in his childhood. His words show how harmful this old name can be. He says, “I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy… This was made explicitly clear to me from the start of life’s ” (Harry, 2023).
The Psychological Toll of Being the “Spare”
History shows many examples of royal spares having trouble. They are seen by the public, but they don’t have a clear purpose. Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II’s younger sister, found it hard to live with what was expected of her as a royal, knowing she would never be queen. She tried to create a glamorous and independent life for herself. People loved it, but they also criticized it. This left her personal life messy.
Prince Andrew, King Charles III’s younger brother, has had a public life with problems and often scandals. He has not had a clear direction or an accepted place in the royal family.
Royal historian Robert Lacey says that “the British royal system can be very cruel, particularly to the spare.” He points out that the system has a weakness. The heir gets support and training to lead, but the spare is just left waiting, not knowing what to do (Lacey, 2020).
In Prince Harry’s case, Christopher Andersen, who wrote about him, says that being compared to his brother all the time and not having a strong sense of purpose caused him long-lasting stress. He had trouble knowing who he was and grew distant from his family. “[Harry] was always in the shadow of his big brother,” Andersen said in a 2023 interview with Fox News. “That had a profound effect on his self-confidence.”
How William and Kate Are Changing Royal Parenting Rules
Prince William and Princess Kate saw what happened with royal parenting in the past, both in their own lives and in public problems. So, they are raising their kids very differently now. They still do their official jobs. But they also stand out because they parent their children themselves and show emotion. This is very different from how royal parents used to do things.
Royal commentator Hilary Fordwich says that William and Kate are determined to parent their three children with both emotional support and fairness. She adds, “They do not want any of their kids to feel less important because of birth order” (Fordwich, 2024).
This is a big change from how things were done in the palace before. Child-rearing was often left to nannies. The heir was treated like they were special, but the spare was almost forgotten and didn’t have a clear role.
A Hands-On Parenting Approach
The old way royal kids were raised was different. They were often kept away from their parents in nurseries, and parents didn’t show much emotion. But Prince William and Princess Kate are very involved in their children’s daily lives. William has often been seen taking his kids to school, cheering at sports games, and even going to events planned by parents.
Kate is known for her work helping young children grow well. She is just as involved as William. She often works to give her children a stable home where they can understand their feelings. She once said she bakes homemade birthday cakes for each child herself. It’s a small, loving tradition that means a lot emotionally.
Being there isn’t just about being close. It’s about making it normal for their family to show love and be involved with each other, no matter their titles or who they are in the family line.
Emotional Equality: “First Among Equals”
One of the most important ideas they use in the Wales home is called “first among equals.” Prince George will be the future king. But William and Kate are careful not to treat him better than the others in their daily family life. Instead, they treat George, Charlotte, and Louis as equal helpers and equally important members of the family.
This small but planned signal helps stop a system where one person is always seen as better in the home. This idea stops George from always seeming more important. It also avoids putting too much pressure on Louis and Charlotte. It helps make sure everyone is treated fairly emotionally.
This is extra important for spares, like Prince Louis. Past spares often grew up in the shadow of the heir. But Louis is being shown that he is valuable just as he is, not just a backup.
Mixing Royal Life and Regular Life
William and Kate have worked to mix royal traditions with things normal families do. They have always shown that they want to protect their kids from some of the public show that comes with being royal. But they still teach them about their main duties when they are old enough.
For example, they didn’t go to the royal Easter service in 2024. This is a well-known tradition. Instead, they chose to spend time with their family privately. This doesn’t mean they are lazy or ignore their duties. It means they are changing their priorities. For a while, making sure their children feel safe and stable is more important than public expectations (Pelham Turner, 2024).
They let their kids be in the public eye sometimes, and then they have private time. This gives Louis room to have a childhood that is fairly normal. He plays, he looks around, he takes part—and importantly, people see him.
Being Seen: Louis on the Royal Balcony
How the media sees a royal person does help shape who they become. Louis appearing at public events shows how they are carefully planning this. He pulls silly faces during Trooping the Colour. He yawns openly during formal events. He sweetly holds his siblings’ hands when they are out together. These pictures show a child who is loved and isn’t afraid to just be himself when people are watching.
This feels new and good compared to how things used to be. In the past, the spare was often not well guided, made to look too perfect, or just shown to crowds stiffly. For Louis, they are slowly showing him royal life. But they are doing it in a way that feels real, not fake.
A Parenting Style That Sets an Example
William and Kate’s way of parenting could affect more than just the royal family. How they parent makes families where power is passed down—like in politics, noble families, or business—think about how unfair attention based on who gets power can hurt brothers and sisters and how they feel about themselves.
What’s more, it shows that being a modern royal parent doesn’t mean following old ideas that say you should put duty first and not worry about emotions. People who watch the royals, experts in how children grow, and people who study society can all see that the Wales family’s parenting style, which puts values first, is a good example to look at.
Louis vs. Harry: Two Generations of “Spares”
Prince Harry’s childhood was very different from Prince Louis’s childhood now. This shows how much changing the way royal parents think can really change lives. Think about a powerful story Andersen told from years ago. When the Queen Mother had tea at Clarence House, young Harry was put by himself, sitting alone. Meanwhile, William got all the loving attention. This was a small moment, but it left a mark. The story shows how there are often hidden problems in royal family life, where it feels like love and attention are given out sparingly.
Now, 20 years later, things are different in the royal family. Louis is the third child. He’s not just a small note in the royal story. He is there with his family, he gets hugs, people talk to him directly in public, and he goes on family trips that used to be just for the heir. He’s not a “spare” hidden away. He is a main part of the family’s story.
Dealing With the System Problem for Spares
William and Kate’s parenting helps meet emotional needs when the kids are young. But the British monarchy still struggles with a bigger question for the system: What will spares do when they are adults?
Historian Robert Lacey highlights this problem in the system. He says, “The monarchy doesn’t really know what to do with younger siblings of heirs. Over time, their public role shrinks, and they either rebel—like Harry—or just drift without purpose” (Lacey, 2020).
For Prince Louis, maybe the answer is for him to find important personal and work paths that aren’t about his royal duties. This could be helped by the strong emotional support he has now. They could work in art, speaking up for causes, technology, or charity work. Future royal spares would be better off in jobs they choose because they care about them, not just because it’s expected.
Raising Louis as a Whole Person
The main ideas that shape how Louis is raised—love, clear rules, talking about feelings, taking part—are all things that help him be strong and feel good mentally. Kate and William show that they are not parenting symbols. They are parenting children. Children who have thoughts, dreams, things that bother them, and wants that go beyond being seen by the press or making patriotic statements.
Royal analyst Hilary Fordwich says these efforts aren’t just things they do sometimes. They are how the Wales family lives. “They’re always involved,” she said. “Bedtime routines, talking at dinner, celebrating things—it all matters. That is the difference.”
And that difference could be what defines Prince Louis someday. Not as a typical royal figure, but as a young man raised with care, understanding, and help.
A New Direction for the Monarchy’s Future
This is important for more than just Louis. If this new way for the “spare” works, it’s not just good parenting. It could make the monarchy seem fresh and modern by showing they care about feelings, even though it’s a very old institution.
If the royal family changes and accepts that people have their own identity, not just a job for the system, it could decide how future kings and queens, spares, and even former royals act with people and each other.
Final Thoughts: Can the “Spare” Curse End?
Prince Louis is growing up without the old rules of the royal family. He shows a new idea of what it means to be born into royalty but not be held back by it. He’s not a backup plan. He’s not something they thought of later. He is an equal part of a new story.
Maybe he will do royal jobs later, or maybe he will choose a private life. What matters most is that he is growing up knowing who he is, not just whose child he is. People sometimes talk about a “spare” curse. If it can be stopped, Prince Louis might be the one to stop it.
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