Prince George and Princess Charlotte will appreciate their cousin Archie when they are older , a royal author has claimed.
George and Charlotte, aged seven and six respectively, may well grow to develop a friendship with their Californian cousins later in life, Ingrid Seward says, and don't need to develop a childhood bond.
The royal family has been plunged into crisis since Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle's bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview in March, in which they accused The Firm of racism and of being insensitive to mental health issues.
As reports of a rift between Harry and William continue, Seward says their late mother Princess Diana would have wanted their children to be friends.
Prince Harry and Meghan moved to the US last year with son Archie, who turns two this week, and are expecting a baby girl this summer.
It's not known how much time the Cambridge's children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - spent with Archie before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left the UK.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section below.
Ms Seward, author of ' Prince Philip Revealed; A Man of his Century', told the Express: "I am sure Diana would have wanted her sons' offspring to be friends as she would have known how difficult it is to form friendships outside the family as people cannot be trusted not to let some indiscretion slip out.
"How cool to have a Californian cousin who is going to be such a dude as Archie.
"So they may not have the childhood bond, which they really don’t need as they have lots of little friends, but they will really appreciate Archie later on in their lives."
It comes amid reports of Prince William, 38, believing his wife Kate, 39, was "thrown under a bus" during the Oprah interview as she was accused of leaving Meghan, 39, "in tears" ahead of her nuptials to Prince Harry, 37, in May 2018.
Because of how his wife was publicly attacked, it is said that the second-in-line to the throne will struggle to forgive Meghan for what she said.
During the interview, first broadcast on CBS and then ITV, Meghan hit back at reports of her making Kate cry in a row over flower girls' dresses.
She said it was actually the other way around and she was the one to have been left in tears by the Duchess of Cambridge.
Meghan also claimed a member of the royal family had expressed concerns over how dark her son Archie's skin tone would be.
While she also heavily suggested his skin colour was the reason for him not being made a prince, although her interpretation of events and royal protocol has been disputed.
The former US TV star, who is expecting the couple's second child, also explosively claimed she failed to get adequate support by the institution when she felt suicidal while pregnant with Archie.
After days of deafening silence from Buckingham Palace over the Oprah interview, the Queen released a statement saying: "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. While 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.”
