Board Thread:Wiki-Related Discussion/@comment-1916997-20160712145426/@comment-24304025-20160712155317

We are not saying that Phillip was meant to be Belle's lover.

But he does take the place of the beast in some aspects. As CoolDudeAl pointed, it's the same as Charming taking the part of Rapunzel's prince. He is not Rapunzel's prince, but does what that one was supposed to do.