Many congratulations to my old mucker Andrew Lownie for his eyewatering account of life chez Prince Andrew and Fergie. I didn’t think my opinion of them could be any lower until I read Entitled: The Rise And Fall Of The House of York, a jaw-dropping account of arrogance, financial incontinence, greed and, indeed, entitlement.

Why didn’t anyone rein them in? And as much as it pains me to say this, the late and rightly revered Queen must have had some responsibility here. She was probably the only person her ghastly son would ever have listened to; after all, his entire status was dependent on his parentage.

Although admittedly, he’s paying a price for it now. One other person who really should read this book is Prince William, as a cautionary tale.

Because this is not the only time a senior member of the Royal Family, never destined to get to the top, has run out of control: while not to the same extent the life of Princess Margaret was not exactly exemplary.

And of course William’s own brother is another case of a hugely privileged spoilt brat whining about how unfair it all is. The fact that had he not been born a Windsor, Harry would probably be a security officer in a supermarket has clearly never occurred to him, although I wouldn’t be surprised if that thought had more than once run through the Machiavellian mind of his wife.

I am a royalist: it may be an anachronistic system, but it works and has accounted for a good deal of the stability of this country.

But an awful lot more thought should be given to the role of those who are close to the serving monarch and heir but who will never be at the top of the tree.

It doesn’t have to be like this: look at Princess Anne and the huge service she has done to the country. Mercifully, Andrew is a busted flush: and he will never regain a position of power and influence. But a new generation of royals is growing up. Don’t let this happen again.