You Missed King Charles, Princess Charlotte's Adorable Exchange at Easter Event
Princess Charlotte was never going to be an average spare heir.
Not least because the role didn't exist for second-born daughters until her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II altered the rules in 2013, so that the line of succession would stop skipping over girls in favor of younger brothers and male first cousins.
Charlotte, who's currently third in line to the throne, will descend the ladder when her older brother Prince George, has children one day, as their uncle Prince Harry (born third in line and now fifth) did when Prince William and Kate Middleton started their family.
But in the meantime, she's the first of her kind, maintaining her place in the pecking order while also not really having to be concerned with her theoretical proximity to the throne.
And as she turns 11 on May 2, the royal family "superstar"—as Travis Kelce put it on New Heights in 2024 after meeting William, George and Charlotte during a London stop on Taylor Swift's Eras Tour—is fielding selfie requests and practicing the poise required of her unusual role, but also gets to enjoy being a kid.
William and Kate have put a priority on filling Charlotte, 12-year-old George and 8-year-old Prince Louis' lives with normal activities while also readying them for their destined lots in life.
Not that watching Wimbledon—or the Eras Tour, for that matter—from a royal box qualifies as normalcy for most kids, but you make do with the circumstances at hand.
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For instance, as William shared last year on Eugene Levy's show The Reluctant Traveler, not only is family dinner a no-screen zone, “None of our children have any phones, which we’re very strict about.”
“So keeping them busy with sports and just being outdoors is really important," the 43-year-old continued. "They’re trying to learn musical instruments. I’m not sure how successful we’re being with that."
And Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Wales happens to have been born to parents who were tasked early on with ensuring that the British royal family is keeping up with the times.
Elizabeth II was a unifying figure who saw it all—globally and within her own family—over the course of her historic 70-year reign as the monarchy's influence on the world stage expanded and contracted over time.
King Charles III ascended the throne when his mother died Sept. 8, 2022, and William became the Prince of Wales (the title historically given to the eldest son of the monarch) and first in line to the throne.
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When Charlotte was born in 2015, in a post-Succession to the Crown Act world, much was made of her spare-heir status. The term dates back to the late 1800s, when American Consuelo Vanderbilt described her two children with the 9th Duke of Marlborough as "the heir and the spare."
Opinions flooded in as to how she could avoid being too much like, well... like her Uncle Harry, who had a famously rocky young adulthood being "too much army, not enough prince," as he himself characterized his behavior years before he aired his grievances in his 2023 memoir Spare.
Charlotte's other namesake, her late grandmother Princess Diana, was also well aware of the term when Harry was born in 1984.
Diana strove to strike the right balance between honoring William's destiny and making Harry feel just as special. She also famously wanted her sons to experience life outside the literal and proverbial palace walls, taking them with her to visit homeless shelters and hospital patients.
Apparently Diana also saw a sparkle in Harry that made him more of a natural people person than his brother.
She privately called Harry "GKH"—for "Good King Harry"—"because she thought he'd probably be better equipped for the role in the future than William," royals correspondent Robert Jobson said in 2019 on the Channel 5 special William & Harry: Princes At War?
Birth order, however, ruled the day.
A million developments later, Harry isn't even a senior royal anymore, having decamped with his wife Meghan Markle to the United States in 2020 to do his own similar-looking but independently-financed thing away from the crushing glare of the U.K. tabloids.
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"He wasn't going to be happy living his life in William's shadow," royal biographer Katie Nicholl told E! News in 2015 when Charlotte was born, discussing Harry's spare heir status. "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 their mother, Princess Diana, his little brother shot back, 'You can't because you've got to be king.'"
Long before he became king, Charles had envisioned a slimmed-down monarchy, one in which fewer members of his family were considered full-timers (and therefore partaking of the public money that helps keep the Firm up and running). But by all accounts his smaller troop of senior royals would have included his younger son, who was historically very popular in Britain and beyond but has since ended up on the opposing side of a public opinion divide.
In fact, Charlotte could do much worse in the popularity department than generating the sort of warm, at times parental, feelings the public had for Harry when he was a working royal bachelor.
But so far she has distinguished herself in best-case-scenario ways—as a smart, spirited child with a thousand-watt smile and a charmer with a spot-on royal wave.
“It’s truly her personality — it’s not forced,” childrenswear designer Amaia Arrieta, who has made Charlotte's acquaintance, told People last May. “She looks very confident and at ease with herself and the environment she’s in. The maturity that comes with that responsibility—she seems to nail it every time.”
A Year 6 student at Lambrook School, she plays piano, joining Kate for a special duet on ITV's Royal Carols: Together at Christmas, and is also athletic like her mom, showing interest in soccer, horses, swimming, gymnastics, netball, ballet and tap.
"Charlotte wanted me to tell you that she is really good at goal," William told the Lionesses—aka the women's national soccer team—during a 2022 visit to a training session at St. George's Park in Burton upon Trent. "She said, 'Please tell them that.' She's a budding star for the future."
More recently, the prince said on The Reluctant Traveler that Charlotte and Louis also loved trying to out-bounce each other on the trampoline, quipping, "Apparently there is an art to it."
As Kate and William's only daughter, there will always be heightened interest in what Charlotte is up to, and everything from her fashion (the "Charlotte Effect" has already pumped many pounds into the U.K. retail economy), to her education and extracurriculars, to her eventual choice of mate will the get the once- (and twice-, and third-) over.
But the possibilities are endless, especially considering she has modernity on her side. As the first girl in her storied family who will keep her place in the line of succession over her younger brother, the role of spare heir will be whatever she makes of it.
Keep reading for a roundup of the biggest news that royals have made so far in 2026:
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Arrested
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, was arrested on Feb. 19, his 66th birthday, on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
The arrest came amid renewed controversy over Andrew's alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein. (Andrew has denied any wrongdoing.)
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Prince William and Kate Middleton Break Silence on the Epstein Files
The Duke and Duchess of Wales spoke out amid the release of millions of documents in connection with Jeffrey Epstein, sharing their support for the victims of the late convicted sex offender.
"I can confirm The Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations," a Kensington Palace spokesperson shared in a statement obtained by MS NOW Feb. 9. "Their thoughts remain focused on the victims."
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Marius Borg Høiby, Son of Norway's Crown Princess, Arrested Ahead of Rape Trial
Marius Borg Høiby—the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and step-son of Crown Prince Haakon—was arrested Feb. 1 for assault, threats with a knife and violation of a restraining order, Oslo police confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press.
The 29-year-old—who does not carry a royal title or official duties—is being kept in detention for up to four weeks over risks of reoffending after the Oslo district court granted the request. His attorney Petar Sekulic told the outlet that they are considering appealing the decision.
Høiby is expected in court Feb. 3 as part of a separate indictment regarding four alleged rapes between 2018 and 2024, as well as two alleged acts of violence against a partner and violating a restraining order.
His defense team addressed the allegations in a statement to the AP, saying that Høiby "denies all charges of sexual abuse, as well as the majority of the charges regarding violence."
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Flora Vesterberg, Queen Elizabeth's Cousin, Announces Pregnancy
Flora Vesterberg, the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II's first cousin Princess Alexandra, announced that she is pregnant with her and husband Timothy Vesterberg's first baby.
"Delighted to share that Timothy and I are expecting our first child," she wrote on Instagram Jan. 19. "We're truly over the moon."
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Prince Harry Appears in Court for Lawsuit Against U.K. Tabloids
Harry appeared at London’s High Court Jan. 19 for the start of what is expected to be a weeks-long trial against Associated Newspapers—the media group that publishes the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday, and Mail Online—over allegations of unethical newsgathering tactics
Other stars including Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, and Sadie Frost are also taking aim against the publishing company in the lawsuit.
Associated Newspapers has “vigorously denied” the claims, according to the BBC.
Instagram/Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Celebrate 10 Years Together
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex celebrated ten years together by sharing a romantic black and white video of themselves dancing in their backyard.
Set to Olivia Dean’s “So Easy (To Fall In Love),” the couple revealed that the clip was recorded by none other than their 4-year-old daughter Lilibet. Alongside a camera emoji, Meghan—who also shares 6-year-old son Archie with Harry— added in the caption of the Jan. 16 Instagram post, “cred: our daughter.”
The couple also shared a throwback photo from their first year of dating. In the adorable snap, the pair embraced each other during a nature-filled getaway.
“When 2026 feels just like 2016….,” Meghan wrote in the caption. “You had to be there.”
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Princess Irene of Greece Dies at 83
The Greek royal family’s private office announced Jan. 15 that Queen Sofia of Spain’s sister died at the age of 83.
As the statement read, "It is with deep sadness that the Greek Royal Family announces that HRH Princess Irene, beloved sister and aunt, passed away on Thursday, January 15th 2026, at 11:40 local time, in Zarzuela Palace in Madrid surrounded by loved ones."
Her funeral was held Jan. 19 at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens following her death, with the burial at the Royal Cemetery of Tatoi.
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Kate Middleton Celebrates Her Birthday With Moving Message
On her 44th birthday, the Princess of Wales shared a message on the power of nature to heal.
“Even in the coldest, darkest season, winter has a way of bringing us stillness, patience and quiet consideration,” Kate said in a voiceover alongside footage of snowy landscapes in her Jan. 9 video. “Where the stream slows just enough for us to see our own reflection, to discover the deepest parts of ourselves, alongside the whispers and the pulse of every living thing.”
She added, “I find myself reflecting on how deeply grateful I am. For the rivers within us flow with ease, fears washed away, cleanse and purify, come to peace with our tears and discover what it means to be alive, to be at one with nature—a quiet teacher and a soft voice that guides in memory helping us to heal in.”
(Photo by Isabel Infantes / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Kate Middleton Makes Surprise Appearance With Prince William
The Princess of Wales marked her first public appearance of 2026 as she joined her husband during an engagement at the Charing Cross Hospital in London. The outing in support of healthcare workers came almost a year after she announced she was in remission following her cancer diagnosis.
This story was originally published on Friday, May 1, 2020 at 11 p.m. PT.
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