A royal expert has painted a picture of what life may be like for Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis when they grow up by using the work of two key royal ‘role models’ to show the paths they may follow.
Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis may only be eight a five-years-old, but their futures are pretty much planned out for them. While perhaps not as strict as the route that their older brother Prince George will take as the heir to the throne, their positions as second and third in the royal line of succession mean the youngsters have a royal career ahead of them as important members of The Firm.
The 'spares' who have come before Charlotte and Louis provide a hugely varying picture of what their lives may be like. Their uncle Prince Harry has shown that leaving the Royal Family is possible, if not fraught with issues. Princess Anne has proved that being both stoic and a fashion icon is a great way to win the hearts of the pubic. But it's two different royals that one royal expert believes have set the perfect example for the kids; King Charles' youngest brother Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, who are now the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
Speaking to OK! Magazine, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, said the couple are the perfect example for Charlotte and Louis, showing them how to promote causes they care about personally while also being there to support the monarchy when called on.
"They have always been quietly devoted to their various causes, but their work has been overshadowed by other royals. I suppose every cloud has a silver lining," the expert said of Edward and Sophie's relatively quiet, though dutiful, lives."As the King calls on them to take a more prominent role, Edward and Sophie are showing they are very much up to the task.
“They are also serving as excellent role models to their great nephews and niece - showing that you can be a ‘spare’ or even a ‘spare to the spare’ and make a real success of working as a valued member of the Royal Family.”
But even with the role models carving out a path for them to follow, the expert believes Charlotte and, especially, Louis will be encouraged to pursue whatever careers they may wish to try out by their parents Prince William and Kate Middleton. Though, again, Sophie and Edward will provide a blueprint for an appropriate career path for the children of the King.
“They will want him [Louis] to find a life that is meaningful to him as well as appropriate for the son of a future King," the expert says. "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 emphasised 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.”
With this in mind, Prince Edward again becomes a great role model for Louis. After finishing his education, Edward spent some time making a name for himself in the Royal Marines before deciding to pursue his true passion of theatre. He worked as a theatre production assistant for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Theatre Company before going on to a role assisting in television.
Before meeting Edward, Sophie had launched an incredibly successful public relations agency and spent most of her time working there. Upon becoming a royal, her attentions switched to charity work and she now advocates causes helping people with disabilities and promoting women's rights, avoidable blindness and agriculture. There are definitely worse role models to have!
In other royal news, Prince William treated Prince George to the ultimate father/son bonding night - and everyone is saying the same thing about the youngster, while an expert has revealed that while Prince George, Charlotte and Louis may be royal, their favourite meals prove they’re just like any other kids. And the unexpected way King Charles made sure his son Prince William met Kate Middleton - and he could never have guessed how important the ‘fatherly’ advice would be.
