NO SURPRISE

that Prince Charles’s popularity is on the slide: the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death has seen her recast somewhere between the Virgin Mary and Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

But the very fact that he has behaved with quiet dignity throughout this onslaught is precise proof of why he needs to be King. he is, despite his faults, a grownup. And while Prince William may have his mother’s charm he remains, like her, still relatively immature and emotionally volatile — two things we now know contributed significantly to her unhappiness.

Let’s not make the same mistake twice.