Kate Middleton and Prince William Are Protecting Princess Charlotte from the ‘Spare’ Struggles Prince Harry Faced (Exclusive)

As Princess Charlotte turns 10, Kate Middleton and Prince William remain mindful of the royal path ahead for their daughter.

There are thorny questions ahead for Charlotte and her parents as they navigate the complexities of her unique position. Being the spare to Prince George, the future heir, is a vulnerable place — one fraught with potential pitfalls that her uncle Prince Harry, who also grew up as the spare, has made all too clear.
The late Queen [Elizabeth] was always very conscious of that extraordinary and challenging role of the No. 2,” royal biographer Robert Hardman, author of The Making of a King, tells PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover story.

“That’s why she had a particular soft spot for [her sister] Margaret, for [her son] Andrew and Harry. She understood being second place in a strictly hierarchical family and institution has its challenges,” he says. “Everyone is conscious of that.”

Especially William, Hardman adds, who regards one of his most important duties as not just “preparing to be King himself but to make the whole royal existence approachable and not scary for all his children.” The Prince and Princess of Wales are parents to Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, who turned 10 on May 2, and Prince Louis, 7.

In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry reflects candidly on the pain and identity struggles tied to his role as the “spare” in the royal family.

I was the shadow, the support, the Plan B. I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy,” he wrote

He shared that being the “spare” led to tension and rivalry with his brother, William, and moments where he felt dismissed or devalued.

“My family had declared me a nullity. The Spare. I didn’t complain about it, but I didn’t need to dwell on it either. Far better, in my mind, not to think about certain facts… But no one gave a damn whom I traveled with; the Spare could always be spared,” he wrote.

Looking ahead, Charlotte could one day be bestowed the title of princess royal — following in the footsteps of her great-aunt Princess Anne, 74.

Though the title is ultimately the monarch’s to give, Charlotte could still choose to decline it.

People wonder why the Queen didn’t make Prince Philip prince consort. Well, he didn’t want it,” Hardman points out.

Adds a royal insider: “It could either be seen as an antiquated title or something steeped in history that they will want to respect.”

As William and Kate, who marked their 14th wedding anniversary on April 29 with a visit to Scotland, navigate the delicate balance between royal duty and family life, the future of their children, particularly Charlotte, remains a path of immense potential.

“Getting the family right is absolutely critical, particularly in terms of what the nation expects of them,” says a family friend.
From the start, Charlotte has made history. Born May 2, 2015, she was the first female royal not to lose her place in the line of succession to a younger brother, thanks to the Succession to the Crown Act 2013.

As the only daughter of Prince William, 42, and Princess Kate, 43, and now third in line to the throne, she’s grown up at the center of a monarchy in transition: shaped by crisis, modernization and the careful choices of two parents determined to do things differently.

Today, Charlotte is being raised by William and Kate to “strike a balance between private life and duty,” a source says.