A YouTube battle royal, so who’ll take the crown?

IN THE past Prince William has warned of the dangers of social media, but has now bowed to the inevitable. A royal YouTube channel has been launched, featuring candid camera scenes of his family in the latest skirmish of The Cambridges v The Sussexes war.

Who will win the hearts and minds of the world in this battle of bliss? In the blue corner we have deliriously adorable footage of the Cambridge children running around in cosy woollies, toasting marshmallows on some wind-blasted Norfolk beach, all looking as cute as buttons. William and Kate also released film of themselves being spontaneous on a couch, but not in the way you think.

In the red corner, the Sussexes in California continue with their mission to save the planet at all costs, preferably yours and not theirs. Meghan has written a children’s book about the delights of well-made garden furniture, while Harry has uploaded footage of his appearance at an event to urge world powers to distribute their Covid vaccines among poorer nations. He made a plea for ‘shared humanity’, which is pretty much what he said to his dad when he begged for more money.

The Cambridges v The Sussexes on a streaming platform near you? My YouTube is bigger than your YouTube? Where will it all end? Perhaps in a Netflix showdown with both sides of the family making simultaneous nature documentaries about the decline of an endangered species — themselves.

Wolf Hall author Hilary Mantel has been criticised for declaring that the monarchy is unlikely to outlast Prince William — but hasn’t she got a point? At the moment it is hard to see how such an anachronism can stagger on long term in a world where privilege and all who hold it are increasingly despised.