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Prince William, Kate Middleton Will Reportedly ‘Encourage’ Charlotte and Louis to Not Be Working Royals
While Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton are already preparing their oldest son, Prince George, for the duties he’ll have one day as the future king, the couple reportedly wants a different path for their two youngest, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
“The working assumption is that the younger two children will get on and do their own thing,” a former Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace staffer told The Daily Beast on June 21. “They will be encouraged to not become working royals.”
The source continued, “The option isn’t there for George, of course, but the children have been kept at arm’s length from royal life. They are exposed to the minimum possible publicity, and that is a deliberate strategy to let Charlotte and Louis choose their own destiny.”
An additional insider told the publication that a large part of the decision to not have Charlotte, 9, and Louis, 6, to not follow in their older brother’s footsteps was due to William’s crumbling relationship with younger brother, Prince Harry.
“It is no secret that William has been devastated by the destruction of his relationship with Harry,” the source said. “Although he absolutely puts the blame on Meghan [Markle] and Harry, he does, of course, also appreciate that the whole system, where one of your kids is less important than the other due to an accident of birth, had a massive part to play in what happened and how it happened.”
Continuing, the insider explained, “There is an entirely reasonable argument to be made that if you are born into the royal family, the logical thing to do is to leave it. The same logic applies to your kids, he doesn’t want to put them through a human mincer that is going to cause everyone misery. He and Catherine adore the children, and their whole lives are about the children. I think they want to find a practical solution to the ‘spare’ problem that has bedeviled the family for generations.”
A third source told The Daily Beast, “If you look at the spares who have made it work, you only really have Edward and Anne. Margaret’s life was pretty miserable. Harry we know all about. I’m sure William and Catherine don’t want history to repeat itself.”
The report comes after a source revealed to The Daily Mail on June 20 that King Charles would prefer a smaller monarchy, and William, 42, was on board with the sentiment.
“When the older members of the family retire, (William) won’t be inviting anyone else to become working royals,” the insider told the outlet. “It remains to be seen if he will even want his two younger children to be working royals.”
Aside from William and Kate, 42, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, 59, is the only other member of the group of working royals under the age of 60. By the time the Duke of Wales ascends to the throne, he and Kate might be the only two working royals left.
“That is what William wants,” the insider told The Daily Mail. “He sees the small European monarchies as the model for the future.”
