Immature and narcissistic, Prince Harry displayed all the self-awareness of a sun-kissed Californian millionaire moaning about how tough his life is in the midst of a cost of living crisis for ordinary folk back in chilly Britain.

However, his ITV interview with Tom Bradby last night shed a very unflattering light on the royal family – and particularly the conduct of his elder brother William.

Willy, as Harry called the future king, came across as a bully. One who excluded Harry during their school years and, allegedly, knocked him to the ground in 2019 in a row over their wives – in a scene which would surely grace any soap opera.

Yes, Harry is self-obsessed – and can't seem to see the contradiction between going on TV and spilling his family's secrets while demanding privacy – but the royal family have questions to answer.

How did they allow the PR godsend of a glamorous new American princess to descend into this disaster which has damaged Britain's image abroad?

Why did they not dampen down rows about Meghan Markle's treatment of royal household staff and then deal with any issues?

And, worse, did they exacerbate the situation, as Harry claims, by constantly briefing against the Sussexes?

Even in the last few weeks, surely the royal family should have let it be known that they were appalled by the comments of Jeremy Clarkson about wishing to see Meghan paraded naked through the streets while being showered with excrement?

Would that really have been too much to ask?

Yes, Harry slips far too easily into new age therapy-speak but it's clear that he is genuinely hurting. He lost his mum as a 12-year-old after all.

However, more significantly, behind one family's travails loom bigger questions about the role of the royal family – and the message they send to the world about the UK. Questions that will echo down the years and could, ultimately, spell the end of public support for the continuation of a tax-payer funded monarchy.