There is so much that is sad about the story of the even-further-disgraced Prince Andrew and the late Virginia Giuffre. First and foremost is the trajectory of Giuffre’s life, which was cut horrifyingly short, and defined by the actions of the men who surrounded her as a teenager.

But there are other sadnesses about this whole sordid mess, too. One is the way it puts in relief the previous most high profile royal “scandal”: the unhappiness and eventual departure of Harry and Meghan.

At the time, Harry and Megan’s defection from working royals to influencers/podcasters was a major controversy – one of the most serious the family had weathered in recent years. But now, in comparison to the miserable details alleged in Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, we can see it for what it is: extremely small fry.

I imagine any member of the Windsor clan would prefer Harry and Meghan go on Oprah once a week for a decade than have a single new detail about Andrew’s Epstein connection emerge.

In fact, Harry and Meghan kept the news cycle rumbling with the kind of minor dramas that the Royal Family needs to stay relevant: breakfast television segments about Meghan wearing the wrong colour tights; rumours of rows over wedding tiaras and bridesmaids’ dresses; reports of a rebellion about which medical staff would or would not help deliver Meghan’s baby. These are the stories which keep the Royal Family in the press. This is what they’re really here for – to give us a good bit of gossip, without even a whiff of a proper scandal.

It’s really quite staggering that in their years as working royals, Harry and Meghan managed to be at the centre of dozens of dramas. Yet none of them could be described as actually dangerous or evil. Yes, Meghan did accuse the royals of racism – which was a terrible blow for the family, but that was all part of a battle to drag the royals into the 21st century. What’s more, they were at least trying to be the kind of royals the country would embrace.

Just look at their insistence on paying for the Frogmore Cottage renovation to deflect allegations that they were indulgent, despite the fact that they were entirely entitled to a renovated home. Were they occasionally cringe or tone-deaf? Yes. And doesn’t that seem like a complete non-issue when you see what a real scandal looks like?

If someone was sitting in an office cranking out inoffensive plot lines for the couple, they couldn’t have done a better job. And yet if social media is anything to go by, Harry and Meghan appear to be held in the low regard as Andrew and Fergie. It’s profoundly depressing.

This is despite the fact that Prince Andrew is accused of allegedly asking his personal protection officer to “dig up dirt” on Virginia Giuffre, presumably to create a smear campaign against a victim of sexual abuse. It’s not uncommon to see Andrew and the Sussexes discussed in the same breath. They are seemingly unified by the embarrassment they cause to The Firm, as if being embroiled in a horrifying sex scandal and maintaining a friendship with a convicted sex offender (while lying about being friends with said convicted sex offender) is on par with being a bit earnest in interviews, asking for security and selling overpriced jams.

There were rumours last month that Prince Harry’s presence in the UK, and audience with his father, might signal a return to the family fold.

The onus seemed to be placed on Harry, as if it was his responsibility to convince the Mountbatten-Windsor clan to allow him back into family life.

But if King Charles and the rest of the gang have even an ounce of sense, the events of the last week, and the juxtaposition between Andrew and Harry, should clarify exactly how lucky the royals were to have Harry and Meghan. And how advantageous it would be to bring them back.

The pair might be cack-handed on the public relations front and I don’t deny that they’ve got a special skill for annoying the British public.

But compared to Prince Andrew they’re literal angels.