Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could take advantage of Prince William’s plans to modernise the British monarchy when he becomes King, a royal historian believes

Prince William must be careful with his vision for the future of the Royal Family, an expert has warned.

The Prince of Wales recently spoke candidly about his role in developing a modern monarchy, saying he was doing royal “with a smaller r”. But while his focus on empathetic leadership and helping people will be met with praise by many, the change-up is a risk, says royal historian and expert Dr Tessa Dunlop.

She issued a warning to the prince and said the British monarchy “needs to be careful” as the general public still enjoys the glitz and glamour of traditional royalty. The historian believes Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose as a threat, as the former working royals are “waiting in the wings” to “upstage” the Firm.

Speaking about King Charles’ low-key appearance at the premiere of the Hollywood blockbuster film Gladiators II last week, which he attended alone, Tessa told the Mirror she “longed for the King to wear an ermine gown, or pop a crown on his head”, but instead he remained “dutiful”. She said: “The royal machine has clearly decided that they can compensate for a depleted public presence with relentless philanthropy on ITV.