Petulant Prince Harry's grim truth is that there's no coming back for Duke

The petulant and whinging Prince Harry has been back in Blighty, where he finally managed to see his father and declared: "I'd like to spend more time in the UK... the focus has to be on my dad." Well, that's big of him. But while it's natural the King should wish to see his younger offspring, the suits at the Palace should urge caution. Yes, a reconciliation between father and son would be great. But if Harry thinks he can just step straight back into his previous life as if nothing had happened, he can take a running jump.

Because it is not just his family that Harry has betrayed, but the rest of us, too. He and his unspeakable wife have accused this country of being a set of racist, narrow-minded Little Englanders, unable to understand how lucky we were to have some sort of near divinity in our midst.

The reality is that they were a couple of chancers, with Meghan totally ignorant of the difference between royalty and celebrity and both of them prepared to sell Harry's heritage down the river in order to make a quick buck.

But initially we welcomed her into this country, celebrated that Harry had finally found true love, forked out millions for their wedding and threw about as much goodwill at them as there are stars in the sky.

Our reward was a double temper tantrum, both of them storming out of the party early, watching the two of them trash Harry's late, revered grandmother and being portrayed as ice-cold Brits who wouldn't hug Meghan or ask about her mental health. But now that all is clearly not going according to plan in Montecito, quite suddenly the past five-and-a-half years haven't happened and Harry wants to come back.

On a personal level, let him. But on a public one? That, far more than Megxit, would damage the institution to which Harry has suddenly decided he wants to belong. The British monarchy exists on the basis of an unwritten agreement between the ruler and the ruled: you can have the thrones, the palaces, the diamonds and the rest of it but you have to behave in a certain way.

No one understood this better than Elizabeth II, which is why, in the light of lurid allegations, she was prepared to put her so-called "favourite child" Prince Andrew out into the cold.

Charles III, to his credit, is a softie and in light of what one hears about his health, very understandably wants a relationship not just with Harry but his grandchildren, although the current Queen, who Harry also lost no time in trashing, might feel a little differently. But what about the rest of us?

And what about Prince William? He has a weight on his shoulders that Haz never will: even in this age of modern, democratic monarchy, heavy is the head that wears the crown. And the country as a whole is clearly on the side of Team Cambridge. Harry has made his own Regency reproduction four-poster. He can sleep in it now - but not the real thing.