Prince Harry and his niece Princess Charlotte are similar in more ways than one

Princess Charlotte is currently third in line to the throne, occupying the cursed position of 'spare'. Prince Harry held the same place as did Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Princess Margaret. However, it would seem only one would serve as a good role model for the young Princess.

Cheekiness is synonymous with 'spare'

In a video shared on the social media platform TikTok, user royal_fam_fan points out the similarities between Princess Charlotte's behaviour and a young Prince Harry's.

In the video, which has more than one million views, fans can see a compilation of footage and images of both Prince Harry and Princess Charlotte sticking out their tongues during royal events.

Princess Charlotte can be seen sticking her tongue out at the crowds at the inaugural King's Cup Regatta in August 2019. One of the images of Prince Harry in the compilation shows Harry in the arms of Princess Diana during the Trooping of the Colours in 1988.

People quickly commented on how alike the two 'spares' were. One person said:

It’s always the spares

Another added:

Like uncle like niece

Princess Diana once said in an interview, which certainly rings true in this video montage:

Royal firstborns may get all the glory, but second-borns enjoy more freedom.

The 'curse of the spare'

The term 'spare' is generally used to define the first born sibling of a future monarch. It is part of the expression 'the heir and the spare'.

Co-author of The Heir Affair, Heather Cocks explains that spares are 'famous from birth' but likely 'grow up feeling like the understudy'. Many Royal authors believe that in recent years it has become harder and harder for spares to find their place in the grand scheme of things.

According to Sally Bedell Smith, author of Elizabeth the Queen, Princess Margaret allegedly resented her sister, especially after she became Queen. She also writes that the Countess of Snowdon believed she would have made a better Queen. Princess Margaret apparently behaved poorly and became 'self-destructive' in search of 'adulation and attention'.

Nigel Cawthorne, author of Prince Andrew: Epstein, Maxwell and the Palace, believes Prince Andrew occupied a role 'that kind of meant nothing'. Speaking about the role of the spare, he said:

They have no role and they really can’t do anything else.

Prince Harry is no different. He was dubbed 'Harry the Hellraiser' by the media, who always seem to publish more stories about his 'raucous side' than they did of Prince William.

According to Royal expert Robert Lacey, a four-year-old Prince Harry once told Prince William:

You’ll be king one day, I won’t. So, I can do what I want.

Nature or nurture?

History is plagued with stories of misbehaving 'spares' leading to the belief that Princess Charlotte may grow up in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. However, there is one Royal spare who has been pushed aside not once but twice and never complained, who would serve as an excellent role model for the young Princess.

Princess Anne was fourth in line to the throne when she was born. She was third when her mother, Princess Elizabeth, became Queen Elizabeth II. But the Princess Royal has seen her claim to the throne dwindle with nearly every new birth.

When the title of Prince Harry's tell-all memoir was revealed, Twitterexploded with support for Princess Anne, arguing that the Duke of Sussex should have taken a leaf out of her book. One user wrote:

Do you know who is also a spare? This amazing woman, who understood her role, has never complained, stood by her brother and supported him in every way. Sad that Prince Harry didn't learn from her

Another added:

Princess Anne is a role model for being a "spare"

Sources used:

- Newsweek: Princess Charlotte Is Just Like Prince Harry in Clip: 'Always the Spares'

- Vanity Fair: The Tortured History of the Royal Spare

- Geo News: Prince Harry advised to take lesson from Princess Anne on being 'spare'