The Queen has "infinite patience" with her grandson Prince Harry as she understands the challenges of being 'the spare' after watching her younger sister struggle, a royal expert has claimed.
As the younger brother of the future king, Prince William, Harry has grown up knowing it's unlikely that he will ever take the throne and has moved down the line of succession following the births of his niece and nephews, George, Charlotte and Louis.
Royal biographer Andrew Morton claims that the Queen recognises this and is well aware of how the system affects siblings after going through it with Princess Margaret.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, he said: “I think the Queen knows that being the spare is hard and a part of her recognises that Harry was a sometimes a bit of a lost soul just like her sister.
“She has always wanted to protect Harry and I think in part that’s because she watched Margaret fall victim to the system. Shutting out Margaret didn’t help and the Queen has learned from that. She didn’t want history to repeat itself with Harry.”
When Harry and William were growing up, the older Wales brother was treated differently and was often invited to tea with the Queen Mother.
However Diana always insisted that her sons should be treated equally and did everything she could to make Harry feel as important.
Morton claims that Harry and Margaret are similar in terms of their personalities, describing them both as "royal rebels".
He explains: "The Queen also knew Margaret sometimes felt like an outsider and I think that’s why she has made sure the door is always open for Harry to return to the royal fold.
"She will have a lot of empathy and sympathy for him because she grew up watching her younger sister act the role of the spare, which is not easy."
