Royal Expert Explains Why Archie Could Cause Major Problems For The Monarchy

As the royal family mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth, they are simultaneously adjusting to their new titles and huge new responsibilities. King Charles III formally ascended to the throne, while William, Prince of Wales, moved up the line of succession and is now the next in line to the throne. His wife, formerly the Duchess of Cambridge, is now Catherine, Princess of Wales. Their children got a bump-up as well, with Prince George getting a step closer to the kingdom, and a dukedom is surely in his future. In fact, everyone in the royal family has now moved up a place, all the way down to Master Lucas Tindall in the 23rd spot, per the royal website.

Even the black-sheep members of the palace are getting a promotion. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, is now fifth in line — still a considerable gap, but an important move nonetheless. More significantly, his children now have official royal titles, according to CNN – they are rightfully known as His Royal Highness Prince Archie of Sussex and Her Royal Highness Princess Lilibet of Sussex. They're unlikely to ever use those titles in their personal or professional lives, though, considering their parents relinquished their palace duties and are raising them in the relative quiet of America.

Still, despite living thousands of miles away, the new prince and princess may have a huge impact on the monarchy, according to one royal expert. It all hinges on one infamous accusation.

Departing from royal life was only the beginning of the shockers surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Not long after settling in California, they sat down for the Oprah interview, in which they disclosed some stunning things about the palace. Most damningly, Meghan claimed that when she was pregnant with her first child, an unnamed member of the royal family was concerned about the baby's potential skin color. Per The Guardian, the accusation put focus on the U.K.'s secrecy about racism and the monarchy's history of colonization.

Royal expert Kinsey Schofield of To Di For Daily said in an interview with TMZ that unless the royal family has an honest discussion with Harry and Meghan about the comment, the entire monarchy could be headed for extinction. Many people are still "haunted" and "disappointed" by the accusation, Schofield explained, so it's important that the palace clarify not only who made the comment (many believe it was King Charles himself), but also "if it was meant in a hateful way" or just an off-hand nod to Meghan's biracial identity.

Schofield added that it would "not be a good look" for the new king to disrespect his grandchildren's legacy: "I do not think it would be in King Charles' best interest to take away the Prince and Princess titles from Archie and Lili," she said. "They naturally are supposed to inherit that when he ascends to the throne."