Alexander Larman

When Prince Harry left the witness box at the High Court this afternoon, it was observed that he was 'visibly emotional'. The Duke of Sussex was there to give evidence in his group legal action against the Daily Mail publishers Associated Newspapers a day earlier than expected. There is inevitably a certain amount of personal toil involved in any high-profile legal case – where the stakes for whichever side wins are considerable, both financially and reputationally. But the Duke of Sussex’s emotive, even angry appearance in court today made it quite clear to any onlooker that his motives were deeply personal. It appears that victory for him would represent a spectacular vindication of a quest that he has been on for years.

‘How sharper than a serpent’s tooth is it to have a thankless child!’ Such was the lament of Shakespeare’s King Lear, but he could at least count himself fortunate that his daughters Goneril, Regan and Cordelia did not have Instagram accounts. Brooklyn Beckham, a scion of wealth and privilege, does indeed have such a social media platform – with no fewer than 16.4 million followers, to boot. And last night he decided to tell the world about one of the worst-kept secrets in showbusiness, namely his estrangement from his famous parents David and Victoria.

When Prince Harry makes one of his comparatively rare returns to Britain, he tends to exhibit one of two personae. The first is the old Harry, the popular, light-hearted figure who possesses a common touch that most of his family sorely lack and who is consequently much sought-after for charitable functions and flesh-pressing. This side of him was on display when he last visited the country in September. The second, however, is the stern, grim-faced figure who is always on the hunt for some institution to rail against. His targets are numerous and include the government, newspaper publishers and, of course, his own family, who get it in the neck on a regular basis in the most public and embarrassing of fashions.

The year just gone has hardly been a banner year for either the Duke or Duchess of Sussex, culminating in the humiliation of yet another publicist departing from their employment at its end. However, all of us hope that 2026 will be an improvement. Last weekend brought the potentially good news for Harry – although, perhaps, less so for the rest of us – that the litigious prince might yet have succeeded in his aim of being provided with taxpayer-funded police protection whenever he returns to Britain. If this is indeed the case, we can expect to see a lot more of him. Let joy be unconfined.

Like many artists lionised by their admirers beyond comprehension, David Bowie – who died nearly a decade ago on 10 January 2016 – was a flawed, capricious figure who got it wrong, especially in his latter-day career, as often as he got it right. And he knew it, too. The one-time Thin White Duke was at his lowest professional and personal ebb in 1988, having formed a failed hard-rock band called Tin Machine, which promptly imploded after releasing two unsuccessful albums. When its first eponymous record slunk out, the music critic Jon Wilde sorrowfully wrote 'Hot tramp! We loved you so. Now sit down, man. You’re a fucking disgrace.

Lucky subscribers to ‘As Ever’, Meghan Markle’s Pravda-esque newsletter, were given an exclusive insight this festive season into how the Duchess of Sussex would be spending the Christmas period. She wrote that ‘Last night, I was nibbling the remnants of our Christmas Eve feast (dim sum this year), wrapping a few last-minute gifts, and tiptoeing down the stairs with my husband to make sure “Santa” had enjoyed his cookies and “the reindeer” had eaten their carrots. Anything to maintain the morning magic of Christmas through our children’s eyes.

As the rest of the Royal Family prepare for the pageantry and pomp of their traditional Christmas, two ghosts have gatecrashed the party, in true Dickensian fashion. One phantom is that of the long-deceased Jeffrey Epstein, whose malign influence continues to stretch into the present day thanks to the release of the latest tranche of his emails with the great and good. And the second is that of a living figure whose reputation, rather the physical presence, is haunting the royals this festive season. The latter is, of course, the embattled Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, whose reputation has been traduced by his actions involving Epstein over the past decades regarding which Andrew denies any wrongdoing.

Harper Collins announced last week that it would no longer be publishing any children’s books by their one-time cash cow David Walliams. The Little Britain star has been accused of 'harassing' junior female employees at the publishing house – he has strongly denied allegations of wrongdoing against him. According to a new investigation, one member of Harper Collins staff was reportedly given a five-figure payoff after raising concerns about his behaviour, while other junior staff were advised never to visit his home alone. The Daily Telegraph’s well-sourced investigation into this behaviour represents the first time that these allegations have been made public.  It seems unlikely that Walliams will be publishing any more children’s books with any other house in the future.