Anwar Hussein/WireImageAll hail Princess Charlotte!
She will be famous the world over. She is guaranteed to become a fashion icon before she even takes her first steps. She'll never have to worry about being stopped at customs at the airport. Starbucks baristas will spell her name right, almost always…
However, there is one label she might not be so happy with: The inevitable unofficial title of "Spare Heir."
Such is the term bestowed on every royal sibling born straight after the direct heir. And while it might sound like a ticket to a carefree life, with all the privilege and barely any of the responsibility, it can also end up being a one-way ticket to scandal town.
"The role of the second born is less defined," says Rosie Nixon, editor of Hello magazine. "And that can lead to a loss of purpose. However, with the right support and guidance it can be a very fulfilled and impactful position."
Because the spare will always be the less "important" one, inhabiting a universe that revolves around someone else's place in line to the throne, her worth only realized if disaster strikes.
Take Prince Harry, for example: He has no predestined birthright. The cheekier HRH might have a fuller head of hair and be lucky enough to date models and actresses, but now he's fifth in line and the chance of him ever being king is almost non-existent.
And as the spares before him have shown, life in the wings can be a cursed existence.
For Harry, the affliction first reared its head when he was a teen and was forced to publicly admit he had smoked pot. Three years later, another scandal, when a picture of Harry wearing a Nazi outfit to a costume party was published.
Then, of course, there were those pictures, the unforgettable images of naked Harry cupping the crown jewels while playing billiards in Vegas.
If history is an indicator, then the new princess' future is not bright. They will walk in footprints carved out from a long line of public missteps and possible disgrace.
It will be a bumpy path, but here are five ways the new princess can try to navigate it.
1. Be Careful Who You Fall in Love With
There is a silver lining to being the spare heir! They often have a far more interesting and normal dating life than what the actual heir gets to experience. They don't have to consider whether their mate has the right genetic makeup to secure the future of a kingdom.
The spare heir can marry for love (in no way are we saying Prince William and Kate Middleton didn't, but William did have unusual factors to consider, such as whether Kate would buckle under the nerves of saying her vows in front of a worldwide audience of 2 billion people). Harry has certainly made the most of the romantic opportunities living in a palace has to offer and is now the most eligible bachelor in London. He doesn't have to worry about settling down anytime soon, unlike his brother, who seemed to be under pressure from the whole world to propose. And when Harry does tie the knot, he can pick someone more free-spirited and less coiffed.
But having more date options than Leonardo DiCaprio can be bad for a royal with a head for romance, as the late Princess Margaret proved. At the age of 22, Queen Elizabeth's sister, and one-time spare heir, put her heart before her head and fell in love with a divorcé, a huge no-no in the 1950s. When she finally told her family she had fallen in love with a man 16 years her senior, she was swiftly informed that the British government would refuse to approve it. Ultimately Margaret picked her tiara, but it was heartbreaking nonetheless. Years later, she did finally get her chance to walk down the aisle; but that was an equally doomed relationship, which ultimately ended in divorce amid talk of affairs and heavy partying. While glamorous Margaret was rumored to have enjoyed close relationships with Mick Jagger and Peter Sellers, she was never really taken seriously, instead considered too much of a party animal, and therefore not fit for a life on the throne. Her love life and carefree ways ended up overshadowing any potential she may have had as a ruler.
Monaco's Princess Stephanie also became a tabloid darling because of her personal life. She married two different circus performers, one an elephant trainer, the other a trapeze artist. Moreover, she even abandoned her free digs inside the royal palace, opting instead to live in a caravan!
So while Harry might still be on the market, the most important thing, according to those who were close to his mother, is that he marries for love. Princess Diana knew that having a relationship in the public eye would be so much easier with the right person by your side. But Harry still has to be smart about who he hops between the sheets with, as his role as No. 2 is to be taken seriously. It's a lesson that newest royal will certainly benefit from when she gets to dating age.
Luckily, that sort of lesson is what rogue uncles are for…
2. What Happens in Vegas...
Abusing the freedom that accompanies being the spare heir can be dangerous territory for brand Windsor. We are currently in the golden age of the royal family, so a lot is at stake. William, Kate and Harry are witnessing a popularity second only to the Kardashians. Any conspiracy theories about Princess Diana's death have long been forgotten, all the focus is now on their charm and how Kate has perfectly mastered public life in the royal fishbowl.
Being a royal is far different from the other celebrities we spend our lives focusing on. Beyoncé may have more Instagram followers than Kensington Palace, but she can also choose to retreat from the celebrity world, if she gets bored of the attention. That will never be an option for Princess Charlotte because she has been born with blue blood. It is a gilded cage with no emergency exits. Maintaining her reputation will be a far more delicate balance.
So when Uncle Harry was snapped butt-naked in Vegas, it rocked the core of the royal family. And for a moment it looked like he was destined to follow the same path as Prince Andrew (Prince Charles' scandal-plagued younger brother) and Princess Margaret.
Since then, the paparazzi pictures of Harry rushing in and out of his usual Chelsea hot spots have dried up. He has learned the hard way that he needs to be more careful. Harry is still letting his hair down, but privately, and behind palace gates. Someone who was with him recently said that he's as fun-loving as he ever, but now only socializing with trusted friends.
"It was a difficult lesson for him. He's especially private now, much more than before," says one insider.
Queen Elizabeth's uncle, who had the original title of Prince George (but of Wales, not Cambridge, like the wee George we all coo over), occupied the very center of London aristocracy circles during the roaring twenties. He made the most of his elevated status living a debauched lifestyle and enjoying many relationships, including a close friendship with romance novelist Barbara Cartland.
Despite his naughty streak, he was beloved by the public. The hedonistic Duke of Kent, as he was later titled, was considered by some to be the best dancer in the British Royal Family—he once secretly entered a tango competition and won. (Although we would argue that Harry definitely deserves that title now, thanks to his pelvic moves in blue suede shoes!)
But in 1942 tragedy struck. The plane he was traveling in crashed into a hillside in Scotland. He was killed at the age of 39.
It's been almost 100 years since the Jazz Age, but the temptations that accompany being a royal are stronger than ever. And thanks to social media, the wild escapades will never die and are far more visible, be they filtered through Kelvin or Earlybird.
For starters, of course, Princess Charlotte can just avoid Vegas altogether!
3. I'll Be There for You (Choose Your Friends Carefully)
This will be paramount to Princess Charlotte's success. For spare heirs, who tend to be a little wilder in nature thanks to their higher level of freedom, discretion is imperative if they want to make the most of their role.
Harry and William got it right, unlike some of their relatives. They have a very close-knit circle of friends. Most of them are part of London's elite aristocratic circle, and have been in their lives since their school days.
"Loyalty is the most important thing to both Harry and William," says a source close to the circle. "Their friends are fiercely protective of them. The boys are under enough pressure, living a life in the public eye, what they need more than anything is dedicated and loyal friends."
Unfortunately, spare heir Prince Andrew had to learn this lesson the hard way. He was recently linked to legal proceedings involving one of his friends, Jeffrey Epstein, a man with a conviction for soliciting underage girls for prostitution. The allegations alleged a 17-year-old was forced to have sex with Andrew, which Andrew vehemently denied. The woman's allegations have since been struck from the lawsuit.
In his younger years he gained the nickname "Randy Andy." Since his marriage to Fergie dissolved, he has been criticized for his extravagant lifestyle, leading to his second unfortunate nickname, Air Miles Andy. Then there are his friendships with dictators and oligarchs, associations which ultimately led to him resigning from his role as Britain's trade envoy. He worked very hard to attain that position, but his professional efforts were overshadowed by his personal association.
As Catherine Mayer, author of Born to be King, Prince Charles on Planet Windsor, further explains, "I actually spent quite a long time travelling with Prince Andrew. He was at that time the U.K. trade ambassador and we went around China together. That was really interesting because he was doing quite useful work, but nobody could see that because by then he had already acquired the nickname ‘Air Miles Andy.' And this sense that his whole life was really being the spare and that he was a spare part and not very useful. And that is something that all the spares have to deal with."
Harry and William share many of the same friends, due to their closeness in age— something Prince George and Princess Charlotte can also benefit from, with just 21 months between them. William has had to be more careful than anyone about whom he surrounds himself with because of his destiny, and that has helped guide Harry.
So while some of Harry's friends might be on the wilder side, certainly possessing a jovial gene or two, they have proved themselves loyal and have stayed on the right side of scandal.
Our Harry source continues, "Harry's friends mean everything to him. He is very aware that his level of fame is unavoidable. He has two sides, the responsible side, which he takes very seriously, and the other side where he yearns to live as normal a life as possible.
"He doesn't want to be treated any differently. He doesn't want the attention. He just wants to be one of the boys. He has a very special group of friends around him and that helps ground him."
We wish the same for Princess Charlotte.
4. Use Your Freedom Wisely
Princess Charlotte needs to create her own identity and carve out a place in the world that means she is more than just Prince George's spare. Just waiting around in case something awful happens is not going to benefit anyone.
From a young age Harry realized this and shaped his decisions accordingly.
"He wasn't going to be happy living his life in William's shadow," explains Katie Nichol, author of Kate The Future Queen. "He recognized that not being the heir gave him a greater freedom. When William said he wanted to be a policeman so he could look after his mother, Harry, who was very young at the time shot back, ‘You can't because you've got to be king.'"
Prince Harry has also done something no other royal has managed in decades: serve in a war zone. He was first sent to Afghanistan in 2008 and then again in 2012—something William would never be allowed to do because of security concerns.
Nichol adds, "Harry's been able to carve a very successful career as a soldier. He has fought, twice, on the front line. He'll therefore be in a position to teach the second Cambridge child and any more siblings that while they are unlikely to be king or queen, they can still have meaningful lives."
5. Find a Purpose
Princess Charlotte is currently fourth in line to the throne. But her importance to the monarchy will only diminish, presuming nature takes its course. There is a high probability Prince George will one day marry and produce his own heir and spare and bump Princess Charlotte further and further away from the top job.
Harry has already fallen prey to the centuries-old ways. In his peculiar universe, it would be understandable for him to rebel as he struggles to give meaning to his diminishing power.
After his Vegas escapade, it looked as though Harry might follow the path of previous spare heirs and float aimlessly in the shadow of his older sibling. But the Vegas experience proved the catalyst he needed to break the curse.
Now Harry understands he can use his fame and impressive surname (not to mention his title) to make a difference. In 2014 Harry announced he would be launching the Invictus Games, a Paralympics-style sporting event for injured servicemen and women. He has also become heavily involved in Walking With The Wounded, and later this year plans to join five wounded service personnel for part of their 1,000-mile trek around Britain.
Nichol says, "Harry's shown this is possible. Unlike his uncle Andrew and Princess Margaret, Harry has enjoyed a successful army career and is now establishing himself as a charity campaigner. He's focused his interests on conservation and wounded servicemen and is using his platform as HRH to really make a difference to these causes."
Giving back was very important to his mother and Harry has promised to continue her work.
"Diana instilled in Harry a sense of purpose and responsibility," explains Lana Marks, a close friend of the former Princess of Wales. "She took him places, wanting to lead her boys by example.
"Harry has a close circle of advisors who help him and he listens to them. His progression is amazing to watch. Diana was very hands on, she did a magnificent job."
In a relatively short amount of time, Harry has managed to transform himself from spare heir to a heroic fairy-tale prince. He has navigated his bizarre role far better than Margaret or Andrew ever did and proved that being the second-born heir does not mean you have to live in the shadows at the side of the stage.
Of course, that doesn't mean it's going to be easy for Princess Charlotte. Mayer says, "This baby will grow up in a world possibly that will still have rather a lot of working royals and still no definition, no job description, but just this kind of curse, really, of being royal… of being on show, part of this, almost, like to many people, a reality TV show. No choice. I always feel quite sorry for anybody born into this life."
Hopefully for little Princess Charlotte, with adoring Uncle Harry by her side, she will be able to break the curse of the spare heir together, once and for all.