I AM somewhat ambivalent when it comes to the Royal family but Prince Charles has always come across as a decent sort.

Unfortunately our future king will be as old as Methuselah by the time he accedes to the throne, but never the mind.

Like most men, Charles has gone a bit rogue at certain junctures of his life, most notably when he married Lady Diana Spencer back in 1981. It was a marriage made in hell and no doubt from time to time he still has nightmares about it.

At least the ill-fated union produced two sons and heirs, our future king, William, and Prince Harry, once the coolest bachelor in the world... but no more.

William took the traditional route and married an “English rose” Kate Middleton who, to put it bluntly, fitted the bill.

His father found enduring happiness with Camilla Parker Bowles, now his wife, while Harry continued to entertain us with his japes, most notably dressing up as a Nazi and stripping off completely at a party in the United States.

Then he met a certain Meghan Markle, an American actress who captured his heart.

Initially all was hunky dory. They had the “fairytale wedding” and were accorded the titles Duke and Duchess of Sussex by the Queen. However, the honeymoon period did not last long.

First up it was announced they would be living in the bizarrely named Frogmore Cottage in Windsor and renovations would cost a couple of million quid from the public purse. It did not go down well with the public as opinion began to turn against the couple.

There was the ITV special at Christmas as the couple toured Africa, as per usual banging on about the environment despite boarding gas guzzling jets at every opportunity and blaming the press for all of their combined ills.

Well, whatever, most of us thought... until Wednesday that is.

Now, apparently, they are “stepping down” from royal duties and will split their time between the United Kingdom and Canada.

They also plan to “work” for a living. Yeah right.

The royals have form when it comes to Americans. Witness the unedifying union between King Edward VIII and American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

Give a stark choice between giving up the throne or marrying Mrs Simpson, Edward chose the latter, leaving his brother Bertie, who was notoriously shy and suffered with a terrible stammer, to succeed him as George VI.

It was a role he never wanted but he served his country with distinction. Check out the quite brilliant film The King’s Speech, starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, to see the full story in glorious Technicolor.

Harry and Meghan’s announcement has caused a right hullabaloo, but in the general scheme of things it really does not matter one jot.

The chances of Harry ever becoming king are almost zero barring a calamitous series of events. We will have Charles next, then William, then George.

After his abdication, Edward spent most of the remainder of his life living in the United States and France and largely faded from public view.

One suspects that, given time, the same fate will befall Harry and Meghan.

No one doubts their devotion to each other. Indeed, it seems to be all consuming and in the general scheme of things there is nothing wrong with that.

But Meghan knew what she was getting into. Unlike Harry’s mother, who was 20 when she married Prince Charles, Meghan was in her mid-thirties and had already previously been married.

She landed the most eligible bachelor on the planet but it appears royal duties have now become tiresome for the couple and they want to be left to their own devices without any media intrusion.

But they will certainly not work in the traditional sense and Meghan will not be returning to her role in television drama, Suits.

One senses that Harry will take on a number of “advisory” roles as he globe trots with impunity while lecturing the rest of us about the error of our ways when it comes to global warming and protecting the environment.

The prince of fun who enjoyed a drink and a fag has now become the prince of darkness and Meghan is the new Wallis Simpson.

History sometimes repeats itself in the most mysterious ways but life goes on and in time they will become an irrelevance. In the meantime, God Save The Queen. For she has served her country with distinction.