In The Prince, does Machiavelli favor the princes already in power or the would-be princes looking to gain power?

I think that this is an interesting point into which much
delving can reveal even more.  On one hand, the book is a dedication to Lorenzo de
Medici, a member of the ruling family in Florence.  The belief was the Machiavelli
wanted to dedicate the book to de Medici as a way to curry favor with him for a position
in the government.  In this, one can see that the book is written for those in the
position of power.  It is Machiavelli's hope that de Medici would be able to absorb some
of the lessons in it, and in the process, absorb Machiavelli in his own government and
take his counsel.

However, on another level, the book is
written for those who covet political power.  Individuals who have already secured power
would almost definitely find it it to be a role reversal if they were to suddenly adopt
what Machiavelli had been suggesting as opposed to what they were doing.  Part of what
makes the work so significant is that it truly presents a radical portrait of how to
rule and what it means to wield power.  This can only be fully appreciated by one who is
not in possession of political power, so they can understand how to recognize its
value.  It stands to reason that those in the position of political power had already
gained it and sustained through it with the traditional means of ruling, something that
Macchiavelli's ideas readily shun.  In this, the book becomes a more effective guide for
those who lie outside political power and wonder how to gain and keep it for their own
benefit.