What is the Heir Apparent archetype?

Kris Kluver, in The Dysfunctional Family Office, names this archetype the Heir Apparent. Designated. Handed the role whether they want it or not. They bear the weight of expectation. Siblings resent them or defer to them. Often chosen for birth order or gender rather than capability or desire. The pattern is common in UHNW families and quietly damaging. The Heir Apparent never had a real choice. They were positioned from childhood. The role might fit. It often doesn't. The Heir Apparent pairs with Do As I Say Not As I Do to produce Resentful Succession, where the heir watches the founder break the rules the heir is expected to uphold. Obedience without respect. The fix requires the family to surface the assignment as a question, not a foregone conclusion. Most Heir Apparents, when given a real choice, want a redesigned version of the inherited role. Chris Richardson works with Heir Apparents on this reckoning at thethirtyadvisors.com.