Alexander Larman

While the world continues to laugh (and, on occasion, groan) at the antics of the Duchess of Sussex, there remains a more serious ongoing issue at the heart of the royal family: the King’s health. As his treatment for cancer stretches on into its second year, with no clear end point in sight, he hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace yesterday for those who work with cancer patients and their families. This is, regrettably but obviously, a subject that he knows a great deal about, but it was still salutary to see how personal and emotive his words on the subject have been. In a booklet that was handed out on the night, Charles wrote: Each diagnosis, each new case, will be a daunting and at times frightening experience for those individuals and their loved ones.

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle staged their dramatic departure from the royal family five years ago, there were various conditions attached to their ‘Megxit’. One of the most insistent was that the pair were no longer allowed to use their HRH, or Royal Highness, titles. These were solely reserved for those working royals who are expected to perform often arduous and tedious duties, rather than a pair of chancers who saw the opportunity to monetise their birthright (him) and the chance to cash in on an advantageous marriage (her).

The admission by Toby Carvery that it chopped down an ancient oak tree overlooking one of its pubs has outraged anyone who cares about arboreal preservation, British heritage and decent food and drink – not necessarily in that order. The Mitchells and Butlers group, which owns Toby Carvery, issued a statement saying that the tree in Whitewebbs Park in Enfield, north London, was felled because they 'were advised by our specialist arboriculture contractors that it caused a potential health and safety risk'. 'This was an important action to protect our employees and guests as well as the wider general public, to whom we have a duty of care,' a spokesman for the pub chain insisted. But is that really the case?

At the beginning of the debut episode of Meghan Markle’s new podcast, she is keen to assert her own identity. After flirting with tradwifedom in her most recent Netflix show With Love, Meghan, she is now casting off her brief nomenclature of ‘Meghan Sussex’, but nor should you refer to The Artist Formerly Known As The Duchess of Sussex as ‘Meghan Markle’ any longer. Instead, she is simply ‘Meghan’ these days, like Madonna, Buddha or, to name another showboating and opportunistic celebrity who had a penchant for backing into the limelight, Liberace. Not that Confessions Of A Female Founder features anything so interesting as its presenter offering the world a virtuoso piano solo.

As flies are to wanton boys, so Prince Harry is to the British legal system. Amidst perhaps the most serious reputational controversy that the Duke of Sussex has yet faced – the Sentebale drama – Harry will be returning to the Court of Appeal in London next week. There he will attempt to overturn the High Court’s decision that he should not be allowed taxpayer-funded police protection on his and his family’s visits to Britain. If he is defeated, it seems likely that his time spent in Britain will become fleeting at best This case has placed the man who was once third in line to the throne in the unusual position of suing the government – legal fees for which have already cost him £1 million, and will only mount up.

On April Fool’s Day, it is all too appropriate that the latest announcement from the Duchess of Sussex has the grim air of a not particularly funny joke. Yet in her newsletter – her newsletter – Meghan has let it be known to her adoring public, or at least the Sussex Squad, that they, too, 'can mimic the magic of Montecito'. It is the (in)famous jam that receives most attention Given that her husband is currently engaged in a reputation-slashing PR disaster with the demise of his Sentebale charity, then perhaps many would suggest that 'the magic of Montecito' may be in danger of wearing off. But this does not stop the indefatigable Duchess from pushing her 'As Ever' range to her people. After all, money has to be made.