Whatever else might be said about Prince Harry, he got to pull the sword from the stone. He got his day in court, his longed-for legal vindication, winning phone hacking rulings against the Mirror group. The hacked-off royal even got to witness arch-enemy Piers Morgan’s head roll into the executioner’s basket (though, characteristically, the former Daily Mirror editor failed to go quietly, accusing Harry and wife Meghan of scheming to bring down the monarchy).

For Harry, there must also be the sense of ethical, almost biblical, restoration, not least of his reputation. You felt it thrumming behind the statement read out by his lawyer outside court, hailing the ruling as a “great day for truth”. He’s been awarded £140,600 in damages. Scotland Yard hasn’t ruled out a criminal inquiry. So, what now for Harry, self-styled “dragon slayer” and would-be reformer of the British media?

Few could deny that Harry has been the most tarnished British prince of the modern era, which is saying something (two words: “Prince” and “Andrew”). First the upbringing in the regal Truman Show of pomp and privilege, and the loss of his........

© The Guardian