Seven years ago Prince Harry got into hot water at a boozy pool party in Sin City.
Days before starting a tour of duty in Afghanistan as a lieutenant in the Blues and Royals he was snapped playing strip billiards with a mystery woman in a Vegas hotel suite.
And we loved him for it.
Down to earth, hard-working, hard-partying Harry was just letting off steam before doing his duty.
He apologised later for being “too much Army and not enough prince” but still blamed the media he’s detested since his mother’s death for invading his privacy.
Harry still thinks we journalists are out to get him – and Meghan too.
He genuinely believes the row over their gas-guzzling private jet flights is a concerted campaign of bullying.
Elton John accuses the press of “relentless and untrue character assassinations” against the couple.
And Meghan’s actress pal Jameela Jamil tweeted: “English press, just say you hate her because she’s black, and him for marrying a black woman and be done with it Goddammit.
"Your bullying is so embarrassing and obvious.”
How bloody dare they?
This furore has nothing to do with Meghan being black.
It’s about Harry’s green hypocrisy – his “do as I say, not as I do” preachiness and eco-warrior posturing.
It’s about the Sussexes’ spurious attempts to hide the life of showbiz excess they crave – and which we help pay for – behind virtue-signalling PR.
It’s about posting pictures of cup cakes on Instagram, left, with iced-on self-help messages saying Stay Strong and You Are Worthy – because you’ve been shown up by Wills and Kate taking a budget holiday flight with their kids.
It is, to coin a phrase Harry, “too much starry and not enough prince”.
So if you expect the press and the monarchy-supporting public to get off your case you need to stop blaming other people and get real.
And carting your own cases on to a scheduled flight instead of swanning off like an A-lister would be a very good place to start.
