In his explosive 2023 memoir Spare, the Duke of Sussex revisited the emotional toll of growing up as the “other” brother, knowing Prince William was destined for the throne while he never would be. But it was Harry’s decision to drag William’s children into that narrative that reportedly crossed a line.
The 41-year-old went further in a later interview, openly suggesting that Prince William’s two youngest children—Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis—could one day suffer the same fate he did, labelling them, in effect, as future “spares” to their elder brother, Prince George.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Harry admitted:
“Though William and I have talked about it once or twice, and he has made it very clear to me that his kids are not my responsibility, 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.”
According to royal commentators, that statement alone would have been enough to horrify Prince William.
While the Prince of Wales has never publicly responded, experts believe he would not have welcomed his brother speculating about the emotional futures of his young children—especially in such a public, loaded way.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! that Harry’s long-standing resentment is shaping how he views 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 get to assume that William and Catherine’s children will feel the same way.”
Bond pointed to other royals who thrived without being heirs, including Princess Anne and the Duke of Edinburgh, arguing they never saw themselves as second-class.
“Charlotte and Louis will be hugely privileged, hugely important figures with enormous platforms,” she added. “They don’t need to feel like spares. Just because Harry did, doesn’t mean his nieces and nephews will.”
Behind palace doors, William and Catherine are said to be determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Despite Prince George, 12, being the future King, the Waleses reportedly make a point of treating all three children equally and shielding them from hierarchy at home.
The couple are believed to be raising George, Charlotte and Louis as normally as possible, gradually easing them into royal life. George has already taken on a handful of public engagements, and insiders say Charlotte and Louis will follow when they’re older.
For now, however, Harry’s comments continue to stir debate—raising uncomfortable questions about whether his unresolved bitterness has pushed him to project his own pain onto William’s children, and reopening royal wounds the Palace would rather keep closed.
