Royal Family LIVE: Meghan Markle dubbed 'the real Spare'

One royal expert has questioned whether Meghan Markle is the “real spare” after struggling to “find her place” within the Royal Family. In royal families, the term ‘spare’ and ‘heir’ are commonly used to tell the difference between the first child and any children that follow. It is usually to denote the line of succession and carries no actual judgment.

Prince Harry found himself as the ‘spare’ following his birth in 1984 – following the ‘heir’ – and his brother – Prince William. The 40-year-old also called his bombshell memoir – which was released in 2023 – ‘Spare’.

Speaking of the term, royal expert Tom Quinn has questioned whether Meghan should have been granted the nickname after officially joining the Royal Family in 2018.

Discussing his book, Yes, Ma’am: The Secret Life Of Royal Servants – which was released in March – Mr Quinn says that it was “clearly Meghan who felt she could not find her place”. Describing how Meghan was sidelined, he added: “She too was a spare”.

Mr Quinn also believes that the Duchess of Sussex didn’t like the fact that her now husband sometimes asked staff to tidy up for him, MailOnline reports.

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