Prince Harry and Meghan Markle "threatened the future of the monarchy" due to their popularity during their time as senior working royals, a PR expert has claimed.

The couple - who tied the knot in 2018 - made the decision to step down from royal duties four years ago. In their public statement - which was released on January 8, 2020 - Meghan and Harry shared that they wished to "become financially independent".

Meghan and Harry, who now reside in the US with their two children, appeared to appeal more to the general public prior to their shock announcement.

Speaking of the couple, PR expert Carla Speight claims that Meghan and Harry were previously a "threat" to the future of the monarchy - especially with the now-Prince and Princess of Wales in line for the royal throne.

Discussing calls to abolish the monarchy, which has seen an increase in recent years, Meghan and Harry were two of the most popular royals during the "early days of their engagement and wedding".

Ms Speight told Express.co.uk: "Harry and Meghan were arguably the more popular couple, which threatened the future of the monarchy as it was William and Kate who were next in line."

According to research conducted by Statista, a poll from October 2019 showed that 71 percent of those polled held a favourable opinion of Prince Harry. This result dropped to just 30 percent during a similar popularity poll conducted last August.

Royal author Ingrid Seward claims that Harry's explosive claims against the royals were a major factor to his declining popularity.

She told the Sun: "I think what people really dislike is that he dissed his family. I think his memoir Spare earned him millions but gosh he's paid for it. Or is still paying for it."

A year after their original statement, Meghan and Harry shared that they had no plans to rejoin the Royal Family nor move back to the UK in 2021. Meghan and Harry now live in California with their two children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.