Prince Harry has lost his legal case against the Home Office for top level police protection when he is in the UK.
Now God knows I've had my disagreements with Prince Harry in recent years. It's my view that he threw his family, his country and the monarchy under the bus to make a fast buck.
It's worth remembering that back in the day, Prince Harry was one of the most popular Royals. Cheeky, party going, fun loving – a breath of fresh air.
He served in the military, was one of the boys. Like a drink, liked a lady. No problem. A dashing young prince with a big future and an inexhaustible well of public support.
Mark Dolan says Prince Harry could be a target for 'bad people'
GB News
But hooray Harry became the Prodigal prince. And now, many in his own family, and in his home country, will never forgive that devastating Oprah Winfrey interview, in which he and his wife Meghan effectively accused the royal family of racism, a devastating accusation from which they later rowed back, with talk of unconscious bias instead.
But the damage was done.
There was the cringeworthy Netflix series, where in one scene Harry had to sit there whilst his wife Meghan mocked having to curtsy to Queen Elizabeth. At that point, even the Prince looked embarrassed to be there.
Look, the royals are all celebrities, they are in the front line and they should be able to handle a handle a bit of public criticism, and accountability. Even if it's friendly fire from the formerly helicopter flying Harry.
But the book Spare crossed the line. Not so much because of its content, it turned out to be a lot tamer than some of Harry’s previous comments.
It was the fact that as she battled poor health, in her ninth decade, his grandmother the Queen had to grapple with this with the knowledge that this book was coming.
It was hanging over our late great Monarch like The Sword of Damocles and this remarkable lady was left with many months of worry about what might be in this book, and what damage it might do to a family, and an institution, to which she devoted her life.
Some have said the Harry drama hastened the Queen's demise. We will never know, and that sounds a bit harsh to me. But it certainly can't have done her health the power of good. Prince Harry will have to live with that thought.
However, I've been very torn on whether Prince Harry should have full police protection when he is in the United Kingdom. On the one hand, why should taxpayers fork out for somebody that's left the country and the institution - he is no longer a working, serving royal. But I don't think it matters. He is one of the most famous men in the world. Whether he is a royal or not, he is an ambassador for this country.
And he still does good – charitable causes, the Invictus Games and he's still a nice and charming guy, with a heart. Yes he's a numpty, but he's our numpty.
And whilst he has left the Royal Family and departed these shores, he was and remains the son of King Charles. That is a biological fact. Well – let's hope so – and it wasn't his choice to be born into royalty.
It wasn't his choice to be the son of the King. And for that reason, I think he should have equal police protection to his brother William, when he is in this country. He couldn't be more a high-profile figure and unfortunately like all the Royals, Harry will be a target for some very bad people.
I fear that if God forbid anything happened to him or his family, the authorities would have blood on their hands.
It's not often I back Prince Harry, but on this one he has my support. Look what happened to his poor mum, killed in a Paris tunnel in 1997, with an allegedly drunk chauffeur. A top royal security insider told me that Diana would still be with us today if she'd had top-level royal protection. Let's not make the same mistake twice.