Prince William, Not Prince Charles, Is the 'New Leader' of the Monarchy—Royal Author

Prince William is "paving the way forward" as the royal family's "next leader" while the royals are in crisis, a royal historian has said.

The Duke of Cambridge is the future of the family, rather than his father Prince Charles, according to Robert Lacey.

The royal author's book Battle of Brothers this summer revealed William kicked Harry out of Kensington Palace during an argument over bullying allegations against Meghan Markle.

Now he has said William is usurping his father, currently mired in a cash-for-honors scandal, as the future of British royalty.

Lacey wrote in an article for People: "After nearly five decades of studying the British monarchy I have learned to be wary of words like 'survival.' Headline writers thrive on crises that 'threaten the very existence' of the crown.

"The British throne has survived beheading, exile and enough scandal to stock entire libraries. Now a new leader—William, not Charles—is paving the way forward."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle launched a barrage of allegations at the royal family in March, including accusations an unnamed royal expressed concern about how dark their unborn child's skin might be.

At the time, Prince Charles did not respond to a shouted question from a journalist during a royal visit in London in the aftermath of the Oprah Winfrey interview, broadcast on March 7 in America.

William, however, gave the only explicit denial of racism when ambushed with a similar question later in the week, on March 11.

At a school in Stratford, east London, he said: "We are very much not a racist family."

Since then, the royal family was rocked by tragedy as Prince Philip died on April 7, shortly after spending a month in hospital.

Prince Charles has this month been plunged into a cash-for-honors scandal, which has seen three resignations at his charity, The Prince's Foundation.

The prince himself and the organization's chief executive, Michael Fawcett, were reported to police after allegations the latter had offered a Saudi billionaire help securing a knighthood and British citizenship.

Meanwhile, William, Kate Middleton and son Prince George spent the summer successfully positioning themselves alongside Britain's sports stars, including the unusually successful England soccer team.

This week William was alongside Kate, who dazzled in a golden gown, at the James Bond No Time To Die premiere.

Lacey wrote: "Following the April death of Grandpa [Prince] Philip, William has stepped up to become one of the top three family figures, adding the ginger of youth to royal strategy.

"It's a crucial inflection point—this heir-in-waiting is under pressure like none before in recent history."

Prince Charles has denied any knowledge of offers made to Marei Mubarak Mahfouz bin Mahfouz, who had donated £1.5 million to the charity.

The Mail on Sunday published a letter sent by Fawcett to the tycoon's aide in August 2017 which read: "In light of the ongoing and most recent generosity of His Excellency, Sheikh Marei Mubarak Mahfouz bin Mahfouz I am happy to confirm to you, in confidence, that we are willing and happy to support and contribute to the application for Citizenship.

"I can further confirm that we are willing to make [an] application to increase His Excellency's honor from Honorary CBE to that of KBE in accordance with Her Majesty's Honors Committee.

"Both of these applications will be made in response to the most recent and anticipated support of the Trust and in connection with his ongoing commitment generally within the United Kingdom. I hope this confirmation is sufficient in allowing us to go forward."

A Clarence House statement after the scandal broke read: "The Prince of Wales has no knowledge of the alleged offer of honors or British citizenship on the basis of donation to his charities and fully supports the investigation now underway by The Prince's Foundation."