Prince Harry should have turned to Princess Anne with his worries about being a “spare”, a royal expert has shared. The 40-year-old, who is King Charles’s youngest son, has often been vocal about feeling overshadowed by his older brother – and heir to the throne – Prince William.
As well as writing a bombshell memoir, which was titled Spare, Harry previously claimed that his role as the second born son to the King was to be a back-up monarch if William was later unable to fulfil the role. Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond has now said that Harry should have confided in his aunt – who was also known as the “spare” to her brother, the now-King Charles.
She spoke about how Harry could have learned a lot from Anne, who has often been dubbed the “hardest working royal”.
Ms Bond told the Mirror: “She could have told her nephew that ‘playing second fiddle’ is the wrong way to look at his status.
“Instead, as she has shown, the second born can be an invaluable support to the institution of monarchy, and a vital friend, confidant and wingman/woman to the monarch.”
She also added: “She could have explained that they are a team, a firm, working together to keep the monarchy relevant and using their platform to help charities and communities.”
Ms Bond also expressed how Harry could use his relationship with his aunt as a way to mend the royal rift – especially with his father.
Speaking about the royal feud, she added: “Yes Anne woud have been the perfect person to offer advice and guidance, but sadly, this is no longer relevant as Harry has made it quite clear that he has no desire to return to life as a working royal.”
Discussing the feud further, she added: “It may be that the King has discussed his family troubles with Anne, but I rather doubt that she would want to get involved.
“To Anne, loyalty is paramount, and I suspect she feels that Harry has been extremely disloyal to his father, his brother and the monarchy. She might well find that hard to forgive.”