The Royal Family is a kind of bizarro live-action long-running soap. We have our favourite characters, exciting plotlines, affairs, and deaths. Never mind that these are real people – we crucify Camilla, deify Diana, mock Meghan.

The latest twist, after noted homewrecker and American actress Meghan Markle joined Albert Square, is Megxit. They’re off to California. And good for them.

It seems to me that the greatest sin possible in the Royal Family is going against the family itself, a Mafia with an elderly matriarch at its head. Harry and Meghan withdrawing from public life without the blessing of Don Windsor leads to the strongest possible condemnation from Buckingham Palace. Prince Andrew definitely, 100% not having had sexual relations with that woman? Silence. Support, even. The wagons are circled. He’s Don Windsor’s favourite son, after all. Keep it in the family and all that. So he’s allowed to withdraw from public life while maintaining access to public funds – the very opposite of a punishment. Less work for the same money. At least Harry and Meghan intend to finance themselves independently.

The press has vilified Meghan, for whatever reason. Race, nationality, inability to fit in to the Royal Family. As if the latter is a bad thing. It’s interesting that the discussion around this topic takes it as an assumption that it’s an inherent evil to disobey the Royal Family. It’s really not – as this episode has shown.

We don’t know these people. They are a brand. Like actors, we see of them what they want us to see. To vilify Meghan as a homewrecker or temptress is ridiculous, robbing Harry of any autonomy. We attach our own preferences and ideals to these people, like a constitutional Rorschach Test.

For example, Leave.EU has issued a bit of propaganda describing Harry as ‘pussy-whipped’. Isn’t it odd that an anti-EU campaign group is opining on the Royal Family? It’s almost as if it’s part of their ongoing culture war.