It would be different if it was Meghan’s big blunder

Iam transfixed by the rumbling royal photo saga involving the Princess of Wales. I know I shouldn’t be, and that this is a woman facing some sort of health issue who has voiced her desire to keep her personal medical information private.

But add in mystery, obfuscation from the palace, conspiracy theories ranging from the humorous to the unhinged, and a stunningly hamfisted case of photoshopping and I, like most of the world’s internet users, cannot look away.

Kate’s admission that those tweaks – which left Princess Charlotte with a chunk of wrist missing – were down to her explorations with editing received an array of reactions.

Some social media users expressed straight-up disbelief. The Daily Mail’s diary editor demanded to know why Prince William didn’t shoulder the blame for the blunder.

The Sun used its front page to issue a reprimand. “Lay off Kate” read the headline, followed by an exhortation: “Stop bullying over edited pic.” Pretty much everyone was firmly on her side.

However, I could not help but consider how different the reaction would have been if it had been the Duchess of Sussex.

I’m not a Harry and Meghan fan, but it is hard to argue with Camp Sussex on the discrepancy between the reactions to Kate’s mishap and Meghan’s missteps.

A source close to the Sussexes reportedly said: “If Harry and Meghan had ever encountered the same issue they would have been annihilated. The same rules do not apply to both couples.”

They are right. While much of what Harry and Meghan do prompts an eye-roll (at best) from the UK press, Kate’s every move receives glowing coverage.

Harry and Meghan have, of course, made their own pitfalls. The warts-and-all autobiography and a documentary that dedicated far too much time to complaining did not engender much goodwill. Meanwhile, the Princess of Wales has banked an extraordinary amount of goodwill from the public and the British press.

While many of us are gripped by the shadowy royal drama – which the American columnist Maureen Callahan has even described as “Hitchcockian” – I do wonder what our reaction would be if the heroine of the royal photo editing saga was Meghan and not Kate.