JENNI MURRAY: The Royals will regret choosing to humiliate Prince Harry

I really didn’t expect to feel desperate for Prince Harry. But as the days of mourning for his beloved grandmother passed, this young man seemed to endure humiliation after humiliation.

Sadness, shame, and anger constantly crossed his face, and I could only pity a man who to me still seems to be the child following his mother’s coffin in the full glare of public attention.

At first, everything seemed hopeful. He had already been to the land that was his home, and I suspect it still is in his heart.

He did not receive the news of his grandmother’s death as quickly as the rest of the immediate family. He was still in the air on his way to Balmoral, but he was told that as soon as possible, especially before the news was made public. He was with his close relatives to share their immediate grief.

The next day, his father, now King Charles III, delivered a moving and heartfelt speech to the nation. He shared his feelings “of deep sorrow” over the death of the Queen. He announced the elevation of his son and heir, Prince William, and his wife, Kate, to their new titles as Prince and Princess of Wales, saying: “I also want to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build of them live abroad.’

I’m sure it was more than many expected, given Meghan’s continued criticism of the royal family and concerns about what might be revealed in the prince’s autobiography. Charles did emphasize their choice to leave their lives as working royals and live abroad, but he used the word “love” and that’s not a trivial word to deny or dismiss.

I haven’t always been complimentary about Harry, as he married a woman whose fame came from a TV series and who now seemed to me to land a starring role beyond her wildest dreams.

He should never have been persuaded to participate in interviews with Oprah Winfrey, critical magazine coverage, silly podcasts, and telltale memoirs—increasing his and his wife’s earning potential and undermining his family’s reputation.

But now here he was, grieving for his grandmother, experiencing the real power and admiration that he might gain from being a close member of the late Queen’s family.

Harry was here to participate fully in the mourning of the Queen, but I cannot understand why a father who declared his love so openly and so fervently longed for reconciliation between his two sons, the days after his mother’s death would have spent exposing his second son to constant humiliation.

It was clear that there were conventions the “men in suits” would want to follow. No uniforms for non-working royals was the most obvious.

But Charles is king. Within royal protocol, he has all the power. He could have allowed Harry, like his brother William, to wear the uniform of the regiment he so proudly fought for during two terms of military service in Afghanistan.

Harry served ten years in the British Army. His uniform was not obtained as a gift from the Queen in recognition of inactive leadership of a particular regiment.

It was earned through real courage, real fighting. His status as a working royal has not been taken against his will, as his Uncle Andrew has. He has not been closely involved with a convicted pedophile. He is just a romantic boy who fell in love and was guided by his wife. There’s no crime in that.

And yet we saw him burn with shame when he was forced to mourn, during a public show, with his medals attached to a morning suit.

He and his wife were not invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace during the mourning period. The Prince of Wales and his wife had been there. We watched the pain on his face as the procession passed the cenotaph and although his father and brother in uniform were allowed to salute, he did not.

A simple nod should be enough for a young man who, alone of the three, has seen death and destruction on the battlefield.

The one time he was allowed to wear a uniform while on hold with his brother at Westminster Hall, he found that the Queen’s initials EIIR had been removed from his shoulder. They were still on his brother’s coat. When it came to the day of the funeral, there were more seemingly insignificant insults. Why weren’t Harry and Meghan seated in the front with the King, the Queen Consort, the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children?

Why were they stuck in the row behind the king in the abbey, out of the way and, in Meghan’s case, in Windsor, hidden behind a huge candle?

The King has generally behaved impeccably over the past week, delivering beautiful speeches and keeping himself together, save for a few understandably irritable incidents with pens.

But if it’s true that Camilla can always calm him down and give good advice, she must remind him that a good parent should never favor one child over another.

If Charles wants to see reconciliation between his two boys, he must fully welcome the prodigal son into the family and treat them both as equals.

By the way, I’ve seen Harry sing God Save The King with gritted teeth – but who can blame him?

Courage of ‘Dolly Partonski’

I am amazed at the courage of the woman called the Russian equivalent of Dolly Parton, arguably the country’s most famous star.

Alla Pugacheva has fans in the higher echelons of society, including Putin himself.

Or earlier.

She dared to criticize his war in Ukraine and spoke out bravely against ‘the death of our boys for illusory purposes that make our country a pariah and weigh on the lives of our citizens’.

Given the dire consequences others have suffered for criticizing Putin, I hope Alla survives — and that Putin ultimately makes sense.

I thought Glasto headliners had to be talented

Next year, the Spice Girls will headline Glastonbury. Really? It’s been 26 years since Girl Power was the thing. A bit outdated now, and performers on the Pyramid Stage are not meant to be the best of the best – Paul McCartney, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Johnny Cash, Adele – and not a manufactured band put together to make a quick buck for music promoters?

If it happens, I doubt Posh wants to get involved. Then she can’t sing. No loss.

The male prick? No way, honey

A contraceptive shot for men would only last another year. A drug called Risug damages the tails of individual sperm cells, preventing them from fertilizing an egg. The effect lasts for ten years, is reversible with baking soda and the shot has no hormones, so no mood swings like we had with the pill. Why couldn’t such an uncomfortable contraception be developed for women? And honestly, would you trust a man who says he’s had the jab? Remember who is always holding the baby!