Princess Charlotte's Experience As A 'Spare' Is Making Royal History For One Big Reason

We've loved watching Princess Charlotte grow up, and thanks to the British royal family's increasingly modern approach, she's had a lot more freedom as a child. We might see that freedom manifest in more ways as she grows up, too, especially since Princess Charlotte's experience as the so-called spare to her brother, Prince George, is making royal history. See, for the first time in The Firm's existence, a female sibling is next in line to her older brother, instead of her younger brother trumping her position in the line of succession, as used to be the custom. This is all thanks to Queen Elizabeth II shaking things up in 2011 when she decided to do away with the primogeniture rule that dictated younger male siblings surpass their elder female siblings in the line of succession.

The big change was announced in October of that year by Former British Prime Minister David Cameron, who proclaimed that the age-old rule was "at odds with the modern countries that we have become," per The Telegraph. This ruling came before Prince George's 2013 birth, and was therefore right on time for Princess Charlotte to take her rightful place in the line of succession when she came into the world in 2015. Royal experts have widely praised the change ever since. 

As historian Dr. Nigel Fletcher enthused in a Channel 5 documentary, "For the first time in British history, the spare is a princess, even though she has a younger brother," (via the Daily Mail). Royal author Tom Quinn added that this new dynamic "will make things a lot easier because there won't be two males like two deer clashing antlers anymore." And indeed, George and Charlotte have proven on multiple occasions that they aren't falling into the "heir and spare" trap.

Princess Charlotte might not be the future queen (unless some serious disaster befalls Prince George), but she might still hold a prestigious royal title in the future regardless. There have been whispers that she could one day be the Princess Royal. This honor currently belongs to Princess Anne (who is a total boss, by the way), and given that it can only be bestowed by the reigning monarch, the title is all the more special. Some royal experts and fans alike argue that Prince William may grant his only daughter the title after Anne's death. It would be a nod to her position in the royal family, not only as the king's daughter, but also her spot in the line of succession. 

However, others have reasoned that, given Queen Elizabeth II's decision to respectfully wait two decades after the previous Princess Royal's death before she bestowed the title on Anne, Charlotte might never bear it, depending on how long Anne lives after William ascends the throne. Then, of course, there's also a chance that William might not decide to burden Charlotte with another royal title, depending on how she chooses to live her life as a member of a more modern monarchy. Aside from whispers about whether or not Charlotte might be the future Princess Royal, some royal experts have also offered their opinions on whether or not she'd make for a great queen. 

Charlotte is still very young, but Hello! magazine's online royal correspondent Danielle Stacey believes the young princess takes after the late queen. "Charlotte already displays the stoicism and confidence of her late great-grandmother," Stacey argued, praising her "self-assuredness and awareness of duty" in particular.

Prince William and Princess Catherine have done their utmost to keep their kids grounded amid royal life, and they appear to have succeeded so far. The youngsters don't seem overly preoccupied with their royal futures, and might even opt to live completely normal lives instead. Princess Charlotte's unique position as the first female spare with a younger brother clearly hasn't gone to her head, because she reportedly has plans to pursue a career in medicine. Royal expert Victoria Howard dished to Good Housekeeping that the princess might even end up opting for a full-time job instead of a royal one. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, William revealed that he and Catherine made sure their children understood the great sacrifices doctors and nurses were making. 

"Catherine and I and all the children talk about all of you guys every day," he confirmed during a January 2021 call with Homerton University Hospital in East London, per LBC. That same month, palace insiders told New Idea that the young princess had informed her parents that she'd one day like to become a nurse. "She's such a caring little girl who also knows what she wants, so they wouldn't be surprised if she does take on nursing as one of her big causes when she's older," they said.

Royal expert Ingrid Seward professed to Fabulous magazine that this would be an amazing career path for Charlotte, especially given the way that she looks after her two brothers. "She is also caring. Her mother's cancer diagnosis has probably encouraged her to want to be just like the lovely nurses who have helped look after her mum," Seward surmised, per The Irish Sun. We'll just have to wait and see.