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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Penny Junor & Zoe Forsey

Huge struggle Princess Charlotte faces when she grows up - despite Kate's best efforts

Princess Charlotte's cheeky personality often steals the show at royal occasions, and her confidence is obvious while her big brother Prince George seems more shy.

But as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's daughter grows up she may face a similar struggle to the one her Uncle Harry has dealt with his entire life - being the 'spare'.

Unlike Harry, Charlotte won't be alone as Prince Louis will be in the same boat, but that doesn't necessarily mean it be any easier.

Despite Kate and William doing what they can to give their kids a 'normal' childhood and treating their three children the same, the nature of the royal family means George's path will always be different.

Penny believes Charlotte may also struggle with being the "spare" (PA)

Writing for the Daily Mirror, royal author Penny Junor explains that while George has his life mapped out, that isn't the case for his younger siblings.

She explains: "Being the spare has always been a difficult role to play. The heir has his or her future mapped out and is the focus of attention from the parents, the press and the public.

"The spares are royal and yet they are not very important, particularly as time passes and they fall further down the line of succession.

Louis, Charlotte, and George all have very different futures ahead of them (REUTERS)

"Having been third, Harry is now sixth in line. Yet he is still subject to media scrutiny, still restricted in how he lives his life, still unable to disappear into anonymity.

"Princess Margaret struggled with it. Prince Andrew has struggled with it; and unless things are radically different in the years to come, the reality is that Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis may struggle too."

Penny also explains how Harry struggled with his role in his teens and early 20s, while his big brother William always seemed comfortable with his path.

Prince Harry struggled with his role, while William's path was always clear (AFP via Getty Images)

She writes: "There was no escaping the fact that William was the heir and Harry, as his mother would jokingly declare, the spare. And Harry was only too aware of that.

"He grew up feeling second best. William was the good looking Prince, the clever one, the important one; meanwhile Harry felt himself to be none of those things.

"He was the one who had the knack for getting into trouble while William carefully steered clear of it.

"But William knew his destiny from a tender age and understood that a future king could not afford to get caught behaving badly like his contemporaries.

"He had a maturity beyond his years and he was careful where Harry was not."

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