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Prince William and Princess Kate are paying close attention to how they are raising their three children, as they are “very conscious” of not giving Prince George - who is the heir to the throne - special treatment. Royal expert Robert Hardman believes that the Prince and Princess of Wales would be trying very hard not to favour their eldest son, and make sure Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis don’t feel “less loved or relevant” than their older brother. He went on to say that by ensuring a balanced upbringing for all three of the Wales children, they would be less likely to suffer the “resentment” of more recent royal spares, such as Prince Harry and Princess Margaret. Hardman told the Daily Mail : “It is said that the Prince and Princess of Wales are very concerned. Of course, Prince George is the heir, and that's the way it's going to be. It's a hereditary, hierarchical, constitutional monarchy. You can't change that. “But there are ways, I think, in which you can try and ensure that you don't leave the younger ones feeling they are any less loved or any less relevant. They're just going to have to accept that their career path is going to be different.” The royal biographer pointed at Princess Margaret when discussing how she was raised as a ‘spare’ to Queen Elizabeth, saying she was “subjected to a series of slights” throughout her life, creating a melancholy and “rebellious streak” in the Princess that remained with her until her death in 2002. “It was very tough for Margaret”, Hardman said. “On the one hand, she was expected to dress like her older sister. To look like her and do the same things. But from an early age [there were differences]. Elizabeth got a proper education. She gets history lessons from Sir Henry Martin at Eton, Margaret doesn't. “Elizabeth gets to wear a uniform and serve in the war, Margaret doesn't. She got to have her own household and do engagements, Margaret doesn't. These are things that Margaret resents really all through her life. They do, I think, account for the rebellious streak in her that was there all the way until her death.” There may be an unexpected downside to William and Kate's pursuit of a more equal upbringing for their kids, as Hardman warned that having one controversial sibling who attracts negative attention can actually be an asset to the monarch, as they draw criticism away from the heir to the throne by keeping the spotlight on their own antics. He explained: “There was a very old courtier, Lord Charteris, who was one of Elizabeth's favourite private secretaries. Later in life, he always said that it's very important – in every Royal family – to have a wicked fairy to take the flak. “Princess Margaret did more than her fair share of her life as the wicked fairy. You have got to have your yin and yang.”
