The announcement that the Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant with her third child is what royal-watchers have been waiting for.
With Prince Philip now retired, William quitting his job as an Air Ambulance pilot, and the family moving to London full-time so that he and Kate can take on more royal duties, why exactly have they decided to add to their family?
It’s easy to look at Kate and her two siblings, Pippa and James, and assume that she wanted her children to have a similar experience. But, actually, William was keen to have another child for his own reasons.
William felt the weight of the future on his shoulders, but luckily he had Harry by his side. It’s no secret that the two brothers are also best friends. Prince William also stated the importance of discussing feelings. “We both are peculiarly bonded because of what we’ve been through”. Well, this could be what William wants for Prince George.
Also read: Duchess of Cambridge will raise Prince George and Princess Charlotte by her ‘RULES’.
The reason for the third child could also go beyond emotional support and be rooted more in practicality.
Queen Elizabeth has four children — Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward. It clearly means that there were plenty of senior family members to share the royal duties. As they all got married, their spouses were added to the mix, at one point there were eight members to share the workload (the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Sarah Duchess of York, and Prince Edward).
However, now Charles’s siblings are playing less of a key role and Prince Philip is retired. The high-profile duties are mainly the responsibility of six royals — the Queen, Charles, Camilla Parker-Bowles, William, Kate, and Harry. William and Kate having a third child mean that when their children marry, the number will be back up again to 10. (Charles, Camilla, William, Kate, George, Charlotte, baby three, and their spouses). Also, Prince George will have plenty of support as he moves forward in his adult life.
Also read: Kate and William have banned this thing from their house for George and Charlotte.
But what about Prince Harry, his future wife, and any children they have?
As is always the case with the “spare to the heir,” for the first 30 or so years of their lives, they are the second most important person in the future of the monarchy. As the elder sibling starts their own family, the younger rapidly gets bumped down the line of succession. Their significance with the royal role also goes down considerably.
