The relationship between Prince Harry and the rest of the royals remains a rocky one.
It all started when he and Meghan Markle made the decision to leave Britain behind and settle in California. This decision, however, didn’t only trigger a change in the number of working royals, but it also affected Harry’s relationship with his niece and nephews.
When Prince George was born, Harry felt like the happiest uncle on Earth. In his all-tell memoir Spare, he wrote that he looked forward to spending quality time with his nephew, but that wasn’t what happened. According to him, he wasn’t incited over at his brother’s place as often as he wished to, but believed William and Kate were busy building their own family so he didn’t overstep with William and Kate.
Despite this, Harry was able to create and nurture a strong bond with George, and later with Charlotte.
However, when he stepped down from his royal duties and moved to the States, the youngest of his brother’s children, Louis, was still a toddler, so Harry didn’t have much time to connect to him. What’s most, he’s only seen Louis a handful of times since he left his homeland.
When the little Prince was christened, Harry went to great lengths to gift him a very special present that represented a continuation of a sweet tradition his late mother Diana started when Harry himself was a child. He bought Louis the first edition of Winnie-the-Pooh, hoping to build a library of first editions for Louis and his siblings.
“One of Harry’s happiest childhood memories was being read a bedtime story by his mother. She loved all the old classics, and Harry had the brilliant idea of starting a little library of first editions for Louis, Charlotte, and George to enjoy as they get older,” a close source told the Daily Record.
Harry bought the original edition of A. A. Milne’s book for around £8,000 ($10,000).
“He originally wanted to get Lewis Carroll’s Through The Looking Glass, which was on sale for £24,000, but decided Winnie-The-Pooh would be more suitable for a first tome. Robinson Crusoe was William’s favorite book, but Harry loved all things A.A. Milne,” the source continued.
This was a meaningful gift, and Harry truly looked forward to building a connection with his brother’s children, who he now no longer sees.
In his book, Harry spoke of Charlotte and Louis, fearing that they could end up being “spares” just like him.
“Though William and I have talked about it once or twice, and he has made it very clear to me that his kids are not my responsibility, I still feel a responsibility knowing that out of those three children, at least one will end up like me, the spare,” Harry said.
“And that hurts, that worries me.”
Harry continued: “I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy, I was summoned to provide backup, distraction, diversion and, if necessary, a spare part. Kidney, perhaps. Blood transfusion. Speck of bone marrow. This was all made explicitly clear to me from the start of life’s journey and regularly reinforced thereafter.”
The Duke was later criticized about speaking of his brother’s children, with royal expert Ingrid Seward saying he should” lay off Prince William’s children.”
However, it seems that William and Kate are indeed worried that Harry’s words may come true so they do the best of their abilities to make Charlotte and Louis feel as special as their oldest sibling, George.
Speaking to the Mirror, royal expert Jennie Bond said she believes William and Kate would encourage both Charlotte and Louis to pursue careers outside the royal fold if they want to.
“And from there they will want him to find a life that is meaningful to him as well as appropriate for the son of a future King. They will try to ensure that he feels he is living a life of value, irrespective of his place in the line of succession and that will probably involve service of some kind as they have emphasized from the start that they want their children to understand that having empathy with others is not only a kindness, but is rewarding as well,” Bond stated.
