THE WINDSORS

WHEN Meghan Markle (Kathryn Drysdale) bursts into the palace, all wide-eyed and talking obsessively about her role in Suits, it’s a sure sign that this second series of the royal soap will be as fresh and topical as the first.

And you’re hit with a barrage of funny one-liners all the way through. If only the royals really did behave like this! At the palace, Harry (Richard Goulding) is nervous about introducing his girlfriend Meghan to Charles (Harry Enfield) and Camilla (Haydn Gwynne) after learning that distant relative Edward VIII had to abdicate because he married an American divorcee. How does he know that? He’s been watching The Crown on Netflix, of course. Kate (Louise Ford) offers to show Meghan which cutlery is which, as if that will make any difference. But Charles has other problems – namely “that awful woman” Theresa May (Gillian Bevan), who has barged in, asking him to host a royal lunch to secure a Chinese trade deal. He’s determined not to go through with it, but Camilla can be rather persuasive when she wants to be. Meanwhile, there’s some fun with Wills (Hugh Skinner), who wants to be a hands-on dad, but comes to realise childcare is a nightmare. And the scenes with Beatrice (Ellie White) and Eugenie (Celeste Dring) are always worth watching for their wonderfully affected accents. So many vowels... We’ve also been promised the arrival of Donald Trump later in the series, played by US actor Corey Johnson, as the US President makes a state visit to London. What on earth the royal family make of him, we can only wonder.