Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's departure from the monarchy may have freed his family members of more unnecessary drama, but it has also added another layer of pressure for the U.K.-based brood.
In a new interview, expert Daniela Elser pointed out that despite scrutiny, the parents-of-two still used to fulfill their duties and attend engagements, so now, someone else has to take on their workload.
"The loss of the Sussexes from the royal fold dealt the royal family not only a serious reputational blow but a hands-on one too," she explained. "The remaining HRHs are going to be stretched ever thinner."
On top of that, the institution has been plagued with their own scandals, from accusations of racism to Prince Andrew's sexual assault case, so the stakes are even higher than they were several years ago.
While King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla are technically leading the way, many actually look to Prince William and Kate Middleton since they're the only working senior members under 50.
However, Elser stated that because of the latter's popularity, "there is one person in particular who will end up paying the price for much of this tumult and change: Kate, the now Princess of Wales."
Fortunately, the late Queen Elizabeth II believed Kate would succeed when it came to the idea of her taking the throne alongside her husband.
"The Queen very much regards Catherine as ... a safe pair of hands," expert Joe Little shared in a 2021 interview. "She’s been a member of the royal family for 10 years now. I think given that all that’s going on in the past few years in the royal family in terms of the fallouts ... the Queen has great trust in Kate."
Kate has proved she's up for the job by staying silent on Harry and Meghan's drama, continuing to carry out her and the Prince of Wales' duties as usual over the past few months, their most recent outing being the walkabout after attending church on Christmas Day.
Elser's words originally appeared in New Zealand Herald and were reported by The Hindustan Times.
