Prince William enjoyed cutting a three-tier cake this week. Not to celebrate his birthday, which is in June, but to mark the 20th anniversary of his patronage of the youth homelessness charity Centrepoint. It holds a special place in his heart because he took over the patronage from his mother Diana, Princess of Wales , who took him to a homeless shelter when he was 11 years old. It has also been a significant week for William’s brother, the Duke of Sussex , who has achieved his long-held aim of bringing about a new risk assessment by the committee that decides who receives automatic police protection paid for by British taxpayers.

Meanwhile, the Duchess of Sussex received a plea from her estranged father, Thomas Markle , to see him ‘one more time before I die’ as he underwent a partial leg amputation at a hospital in the Philippines. The Duchess has since confirmed that she's sent a letter to her father, who has been moved from intensive care. Today’s trivia question: What was the name of Queen Elizabeth's first personal pet corgi, from whom all of her following corgis and dorgis (dachshund and corgi crosses) were descended?

After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex abandoned royal duties to seek their fortune, they were stripped of their automatic right to police protection on return visits to Britain. However, this week the committee that decides who receives taxpayer-funded security began a new risk assessment. This is very surprising because the legal position has not changed: the process does not apply to Harry and Meghan because they live overseas.

What has changed, I can reveal, is that the ‘Establishment plot’ which aims to restore the California-based couple to the affections of the British public is gathering pace and has powerful supporters, including the foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, who arrived in Ukraine on the same train as Harry in September. Many on the Left hailed the mixed-race American actress as a symbol of change when she married Harry – and still yearn for her return. My sources say the new risk assessment is likely to result in police protection being restored. The justification will be that the Sussexes plan to spend much more time here. This would provoke fury from taxpayers, I believe, and be highly dangerous for the Monarchy.

This week Royal Editor Rebecca English answers the reader question: Because the Royal Family neither complains nor explains, how can they protect themselves from the negativity in some news reports? The Royal Family is often placed in an invidious position regarding media coverage and online commentary, as it does not wish to react to every single claim or ridiculous story. The King and Queen simply don’t read much of it. The King doesn’t even have a mobile phone. Each day news cuttings are sent to him by his trusted communications team in his red box wherever he is in the country.

Queen Camilla is more computer-savvy and aware of what is being said about her and the family. I’ve heard she even ‘reads the comments’! I believe she has a much thicker skin than her husband, though both possess a good sense of humour. I understand the Princess of Wales doesn’t go down the media rabbit hole, but Prince William sometimes does. I know, from personal experience, that he has previously ‘read the comments’ and subscribes to news alerts from major outlets on his mobile phone.

William finds coverage regarding his wife and children irritating, understandably. I know he was particularly upset last year about the more malicious coverage around Catherine’s illness, which any reasonable person will sympathise with. It’s made him even more determined to control the public narrative around them. It will be interesting to see how he balances that with his increasing keenness to take part in high-profile entertainment projects and documentaries.

Last week, we asked: do you think all royals should pay fair market rates for their homes? Susan said: 'This is a sticky one isn’t it? Some royal family members may have sufficient private income, some may not, in order to pay market rents. Are the monarch’s children, other than the heir, provided for financially? How does a Royal personage obtain a private income, especially if primogeniture in wills comes into play?

'I would not want to see members of the royal family, who have supported the monarchy all their life, being put in an embarrassing situation as regards where they live. This issue obviously needs to be reviewed from time to time, as things change. It is hard for the general public to sometimes reconcile grand homes for those who have not made a significant contribution to public life or the monarchy.' This week, experts suggest Prince Harry's relationship with his father is thawing. We want to know: what do you think is next for his relationship with the King? Do you want to see a reunion?

Queen Elizabeth's first personal pet corgi was called Susan.