All this discussion of the monarchy is designed to avoid the big issues

We have long known Mr Windsor behaved badly as Prince Andrew by choosing Epstein as a friend and being too close to a convicted paedophile. The King rightly stripped him of royal duties and titles.

Over the last week Mr Windsor, no longer a working royal, has been interviewed under caution by the police. The big story will be when the police bring charges of a criminal offence or announce they are not bringing charges. Until we know the outcome there is no significant news.

Yet with obvious government encouragement the media goes on and on about the need for reform of the monarchy and behave as if Mr Windsor is an important and powerful person when he has been removed from all public roles.

It looks as if the government aided by the BBC want to spend most time on this to bury or downplay much more important and urgent stories.

1. The huge tax hit reported in the latest figures and the damage this is doing to jobs, business and net incomes
2.The refusal of the Chancellor to use the Spring Statement to launch a proper growth strategy or to get the cost of living under control by new policies on energy, Council taxes, motoring costs and the rest
3.The disgraceful and expensive give away of the Chagos islands
4. The UK refusal to help the US to put pressure on the murderous Iranian regime
5.The dreadful EU re set deal and the Gibraltar deal where no texts are made available to the UK Parliament and people
6.The continuing failure to tackle the rape gangs seriously
7.The continuing refusal to make the legal changes necessary to smash the gangs and stop illegal migration.

Note how there is so much discussion of Mr Windsor but much less of Mr Mandelson. Those MPs who want a more transparent royal family should start by early and comprehensive publication of the Mandelson papers as demanded by the Commons.