Sorry Harry, but you’re not in the royal couple making highest impact

STEP by step, day by day, the gulf between the two brothers grows wider. In style and substance Princes William and Harry, once so close they were like peas in a pod, have become entirely different animals.

In the past few days William, looking every inch the future king, went to Westminster Abbey with Catherine to visit a pop-up Covid vaccine centre and to mark the decade since the couple’s glittering wedding back in April 2011.

In a private moment they lit a candle and laid daffodils to mark the National Day of Reflection, honouring those multitudes lost to the pandemic.

Across the pond, Harry appeared tieless to announce he’d got a job which could make him a lot of money.

He is now Chief Impact Officer at Betterup – but whatever that conveyed to his American audience, it didn’t resonate so well back on his home patch.

In the past couple of days Catherine andwilliam issued a supportive video to the Time to Change mental health campaign, thanking those who are working with people suffering mental health problems. Meanwhile, the Duchess wrote a personal letter of condolence to the family of Sarah Everard, following on from her appearance at the Clapham Common vigil for the marketing executive.

In America, Harry joined the Aspen Institute as a commissioner to help fight misinformation in the digital world.

It gave his critics the opportunity to point out that his recent interview with Oprahwinfrey contained several examples of misinformation, and as the days went by more, embarrassingly, came to light.

This past week has shown – like never before – how the two princes have developed entirely different ideas about how they can, from their unique position of privilege, best serve the world.

From what we’ve seen since their move to the US, Harry and Meghan appear to believe that verbalising their opinions, to the TV cameras and online, will help make the world a better place.

William and Catherine believe their job is to get out there and press the flesh.

Which has the greater impact, and does more good?

To be fair to Harry, there are probably few people in America who’d want to stand on the street waving a flag in the hope of a quick word – something he was so good at dealing with back home. Once such a hot ticket, he’s lost that audience entirely.

Even his most inspired creation, the Invictus Games, has fallen victim to the global pandemic and is unlikely to be revived in the short term. It leaves him without a platform.

William and Catherine, by comparison, continue to excel in supporting the Queen in the traditional style expected of the Royal Family, and as time goes on will rise to become the nation’s ambassadors abroad, undertaking more and more high-profile engagements.

They’ve understood the thirst for social media and, though their public engagements have been clipped by the pandemic, it’s given them the opportunity to find a wider audience by other means.

The 10 years since their marriage have seen them emerge as stately, popular and increasingly hardworking Royals.

What’s certain is Harry and Meghan’s popularity took a colossal hit in the wake of the Oprah interview. Once upon a time Harry came first in the Royal popularity stakes, but in the most recent Yougov poll he slumped to eighth position, rating a score of minus three. Meghan suffered similarly, with only three in 10 now retaining a positive view of her.their accusations of racism within the Royal establishment certainly hit home, causing the Queen to set up an inquiry into behaviour and attitudes within the Royal palaces. Butwilliam’s angry rebuttal when asked whether his family was racist was as convincing as it was emphatic.

Back in Montecito last week another key figure quit the Sussex team – chief of staff Catherine St-laurent left after a single year’s service.

Alongside the inquiry into racism, Buckingham Palace officials are rigorously looking into allegations of bullying, lodged against Meghan by former members of her staff.

Many are sickened by this open wound which has developed in the Royal Family, and view with anxiety the unveiling of the statue dedicated to Princess Diana in three months’ time – when both sons are due to be present at Kensington Palace, alongside their wives.

All this has created colossal unhappiness for the Queen and her immediate family. However he justifies his abrogation of royal duty, and we have yet to learn the full story, Prince Harry’s actions will inevitably cause his name and influence to further decline in the coming years.

‘Once such a hot ticket, the Prince has lost his audience’