Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are brave to challenge the royal status quo – but their plan will surely fail

The Sussexes’ experiment with trying to navigate some middle way between the monarchy and being private citizens is admirable, but is it actually possible?

If the British royal family has evolved into little more than a soap opera, then the scriptwriters could hardly have come up with a more dramatic storyline. Without warning – seemingly to anyone – the characters known as their royal highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have quit, announcing they are to “step back” from the royal role.

Viewers could almost hear the EastEnders-style “doof-doof” as the news broke. The Sussexes, indeed, seem to be producing a spin-off series with the working title “The Sussexes”, billed as “a progressive new role within this institution”. They’ve even set up a new-age website to help new viewers follow events – sussexroyal.com.