Prince Louis Is the Wales Child ‘Most in Danger From Life in the Gilded Cage’ — Author
Prince Louis might be a so-called double spare as the youngest of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s three children; however, an author says he’s at the greatest risk for “struggle.” Not only does his behavior “remarkably” resemble his uncle Prince Harry’s but Louis can’t “escape” royal life.
Prince Louis ‘already seems remarkably like’ Prince Harry, according to a royal author
“The child most in danger from life in the gilded cage is Louis,” Tom Quinn, the author of Gilded Youth, a book about growing up in the royal family, told Daily Beast. “My sources say George is already treated differently. Not by his parents, but by other people. And that Louis seems to play up to get attention.”
“Louis already seems remarkably like Harry — the joker,” Quinn added. “And it may be that he will struggle as much as Harry did to find a role in the royal family.” Louis even borrowed a childhood outfit from his uncle, the Duke of Sussex, for 2019’s Trooping the Colour.
As it stands, Louis is a “double spare” currently in the line of succession’s No. 4 position. Ahead of him is Princess Charlotte, 8, in the No. 3 spot and Prince George, 9, at No. 2. That leaves their father, the Prince of Wales, at the top.
Prince Louis’s childhood will still be ‘very difficult’ despite Harry and Prince William’s being ‘far more damaging’
Quinn continued, discussing Harry’s comment about being concerned “at least one” of William and Kate’s children “will end up like” him, “the spare.”
“I can understand why Harry fears for the children,” the author said. “But his fears are based to some extent on his own childhood, which was far more damaging than the childhoods of the Cambridge kids are likely to be.”
That doesn’t it won’t be all of the royal perks and none of the complications. “It will still be very difficult for Louis and Charlotte,” Quinn said.
Prince Louis can’t ‘escape’ his royal life for an ‘ordinary’ one
“Like all royal children, he will quickly become aware that he has a life of luxury,” Quinn said of Louis. “But he can’t really escape it and have an ordinary life, but he’s also not the number one.”
The young royal, the author said, is “not going to be, or it’s very unlikely, that he’d ever become the monarch.” With that in mind, it’s up to William and Kate to keep him from ending up like the royal family’s “lost spares,” such as Princess Margaret and Prince Andrew.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are, per Quinn, willing to do whatever it takes to keep Louis from feeling “lost.” They may even, according to some, break the cycle of the heir and spare.
“I think because the royal family is now so aware of the mistakes that they’ve made in the past, especially with bringing up children,” Quinn continued. “I think they will make enormous efforts to make sure that Louis doesn’t feel like a lost soul.”
The author also said the couple may have an “easier” time avoiding Louis feeling aimless in his royal life “partly because the world has changed so much. Even since William and Harry were young, the world’s changed a great deal.”
It seems only time will tell with Louis and his siblings on how they handle growing up royal. For now, at least, they make occasional public appearances when they’re not attending classes at Lambrook School.
