The messaging from Meghan Markle and husband Harry’s sensational sit-down with Oprah Winfrey is unambiguous. That they were driven out of Britain’s royal family by racism against Meghan, whose mother is African-American. Dark clouds are seen hovering low over the British monarchy since Sunday’s bombshell interview.

“They have made very serious allegations, primarily of racism in the royal family which is going to be very damaging for Britain’s standing abroad for its soft power as it is called,” British author and historian Andrew Roberts has said.

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The couple, who still wear the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex, told Oprah Winfrey that when Meghan was pregnant, a member of the royal family had brought “concern and conversation” to Harry about “how dark” the skin of their child would be. Meghan also suggested that their son, Archibald, now almost two years old, was denied the title of prince because he is mixed-race. Harry said racism was “a large part” of why the couple left Britain; they now live in the US.

“There will be a witch hunt. Prince Harry lit fire underneath it,” said Paul Burell, former butler of Harry’s mother Princess Diana.

During the interview, the Sussexes refused to name the member of the royal family who made the racist comments, but Oprah Winfrey later said Harry wanted it clarified that it was not Britain’s reigning monarch and his grandmother Queen Elizabeth or her husband Prince Philip.

Intense speculation since on who the racist royal could be has brought into uncomfortable focus two men who are in line to be King of England – Harry’s father Prince Charles and his older brother Prince William.

On the Internet, both have been the target of anger and ridicule, with Prince Charles being called out for posing for photographs with people of colour just the day after the Oprah interview aired.

The implications for the 72-year-old Charles are grave. His mother, the Queen, is 92 and his ascent to the British throne is expected to come soon, perhaps as early as June next when Britain celebrates Elizabeth’s 70 years as Queen. There is talk that she could step down after the platinum jubilee celebrations.

Can the King of England be seen as racist?

Charles is no stranger to controversy or public opprobrium. He survived massive backlash from his ex-wife Diana’s revelations around her struggles as part of the royal family, their failed marriage and his relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles, now his wife. The hugely popular Diana’s tragic death in a road accident just two years after her tell-all interview to the BBC’s Martin Bashir brought Charles’ role in her unhappiness back into the spotlight.

In the damning interview, Diana had also questioned whether Charles had the moral character to be king.

Prince Charles rehabilitated himself in public opinion, even earning acceptance for his marriage to Camilla. The years helped. So did strategic photo-ops like welcoming Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland into the family and walking Meghan down the aisle at the Sussexes’ royal wedding in 2018.

The new controversy is a setback. Prince Charles can ill-afford a racist royal tag as he prepares to take over the reins. Already there are calls for him to be passed over. A snap-poll by Yougov after the Oprah interview showed that while overall people in the UK still back the royal family over the Sussexes, those between 18 and 49 years of age are more sympathetic to Harry and Meghan.

A shift in public opinion could disrupt succession or even create momentum behind calls to abolish the monarchy.

Queen Elizabeth and Buckingham Palace have moved to try and contain the damage. In a statement on behalf of the queen, Buckingham Palace said, “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan…The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”

“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members,” said the royals, now plunged into their deepest crisis since Diana’s death in 1997, when Queen Elizabeth and her family were criticised for a slow response.