Opinion: Harry and Meghan have made utter fools of themselves. Again

All along there could only ever have been one explanation for the removal of photographs of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from Kris Jenner ’s birthday party at Jeff Bezos ’s £125 million Beverly Hills home. Shame. Hot burning shame. Along with a frisson of embarrassment fuelled by an unseemly scramble to limit any reputational damage to their curdled status. Too late, kids! It always seemed obvious that the mysteriously deleted snaps on Kris Jenner’s account were removed at the panicky request of Harry and Meghan – what other explanation could there have been?

At some point it belatedly dawned on Dim and Dimmer that social media images of them partying the night away with a cavalcade of showbiz grotesques on Remembrance Sunday weekend was not a good look. In fact, it was a terrible look. It was a look they might never live down. Given the eight-hour time difference, at just about the point when H and Megz were delightedly knocking back champagne and dancing the night away with the Kardashians in California , the Royal Family were attending the Remembrance Day service in London.

It was a study in opposites, a detailed map of the fork in the road and the perfect illustration of why there can be no turning back now, for all involved – despite the whispers of reconciliation. Yes, Prince William and Prince Harry were both wearing poppies, but that was the only commonality in the lives of two brothers which have diverged to the point of parody. In Westminster Abbey, at the Cenotaph, on the brisk, autumnal streets of the capital, Prince William was all dignity, duty, respect and solemn observance. In his Royal Air Force wing commander uniform, complete with cap and sword, he looked like a man facing his destiny with a stoic, if heavy, heart.

Over the past few years it is no secret that William has not had his problems to seek. His wife and his father have both been stricken with cancer, his uncle is in disgrace, his brother deserted him then publicly insulted him, his sister-in-law – well, don’t get me started. Matters pending in his inbox include preparing his son to be king one day and doing the same with himself, while somehow ensuring the future of the monarchy through one of its most turbulent patches in history.

Meanwhile, gadfly Prince Harry tipped up at a billionaire’s mansion in Los Angeles with a poppy pin in the lapel of his dinner suit and a grin like a turnip lantern. There was an expression on his face that we rarely see in public – one of utter delight. Whether mingling at the party or busting a move on the dancefloor, Harry was clearly where he wanted to be, he was with his tribe at last – and he was thrilled.

Of course his equally excited wife was at his side, phasers set to networking mode, her VIP antennae throbbing, her smile a mile wide, too. A-listers, here we come! It is not hard to imagine that all the time she was pulling on her paralegal pencil skirt and chomping through her dreary lines on the television show Suits, this was what Meghan dreamed of – rubbing shoulders with the people she laughably regards as the Hollywood elites.

Pinch me, I’m screaming. The 007-themed party was thrown to celebrate weirdo momager Kris Jenner’s 70th birthday and perhaps also to show off the recent £115,000 deep plane facelift that makes her look like a semifreddo version of her former self.

The bash was hosted by her six children – Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Rob Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner – and attendees included Beyonce and Jay Z, Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah Winfrey, Chris Rock, Mariah Carey, Adele and Rich Paul, Tyler Perry, Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton, Vin Diesel and Bruno Mars, who provided the cabaret. However, the real entertainment was supplied by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who gleefully attended this ugly bug ball of tacky influencers and idle rich, then tried to cover their tracks when they realised how cringe it looked to the outside world.

On a sacred day of Remembrance held to honour British sacrifice in conflict, they didn’t want you to see them enjoying themselves. They didn’t want you to see them living their most authentic lives, happily carousing in Hollywood, deep in the cash-rich pockets of others. They wanted to pretend they still cared about duty and diligence, that what was important to Britain and the Royal Family was important to them, too. So they tried to have the partying images removed from the internet, but it was too late. Much too late. The Sussexes want to control their image but how can they, when they can’t even control themselves?

In one giant tactical error they have risked annoying their generous Kardashian hosts – who may not have taken kindly to being told what to do with their social media accounts – and irritating the Royal Family with their selfish and glitzy thoughtlessness. And as ever it is not the deed itself that damns, it is the desperate cover up that is so damaging. The hangover from this party might not be fatal, but Harry and Meghan have made utter fools of themselves. Again.