The ‘spare to the heir’ is a well-known royal phrase, it means that any child born after their sibling the heir is a second to them or seen as a spare part to the Firm. There have been many notable spares throughout history, including the likes of Prince Albert (later King George VI ), Princess Margaret and Princess Anne.
While the term will soon be associated with Prince Harry's upcoming memoir, 'Spare', royal historian Robert Lacey claimed the palace has constantly failed when it comes to finding a role for the heirs siblings and went on to add that this is also true to the spare's spouse. In his book 'Battle of Brothers', Lacey went on to describe Meghan Markle as having a "dangerous level of self-belief"
Royal author Robert Lacey said in his book 'Battle of Brothers' that Meghan's introduction into the Royal Family changed its dynamic as she came across as "difficult".
He wrote: "What you’ve got to realise is that the whole strategy of the monarchy was based on them sticking together.
" Meghan changed all that. She is difficult. She has an incredible and dangerous level of self-belief."
He went on to say the Palace has historically treated 'second-borns badly' and added: "They just don't know what to do with the spare and they certainly don't know what to do with the spare's wife."
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During her time as a working royal, Meghan's interests included mental health, women's rights, animal welfare and bringing communities together. Given Meghan's interest in the importance of charity work, many experts were surprised she didn't stay in the royal fold for longer than she did.
One author claims part of the reason was down to Meghan's limited understanding of how royal life works and her unwillingness to alter her approach.
In Tom Bower's explosive book 'Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors', it is suggested that Meghan's refusal to "learn the ropes" of royal life contributed to them stepping back.
The author wrote that The Princess of Wales had grown increasingly frustrated with Markle's approach to royal duties.
Unlike other members of the family, who kept their opinions to themselves and treated official duties with caution, it was felt that Markle was determined to "hit the ground running".
Bower explained: "Kate had become irritated by her neighbour. Unlike her own cautious approach to 'learn the ropes' before engaging in royal duties, Meghan was running — but what was her destination? And who was she running with? Did she realize that the Royal Family ran together under the monarch, not as competitive individuals?"
