I’m afraid the slow news month for the Royal Family continues into another.

Prince Harry learns to fly

Prince William and Prince Harry are away learning to fly helicopters and their girlfriends have gone to ground. Chelsy Davy has broken off her relationship with Harry, while Kate Middleton seems to have popped into a black hole … again.

We hear that Harry has failed the first written test on his flying course and is receiving special tuition from his officers.

Lord “Freddie” Windsor has become engaged to Sophie Winkleman and will marry in September. Sophie played the irascible Princess Eleanor in The Palace, an irreverent, and almost unwatchable, ITV drama about a fictional British Royal Family, which appeared too close for comfort to the present one.

The Queen will soon have two Sophies to contend with: Sophie Wessex and Sophie Windsor.

A source said, “The first thing on the agenda is to get the parents to meet as they have not had the chance so far. Princess Michael is currently in South Africa but they’ll arrange a meeting as soon as she returns. Everybody is thrilled.”

Sophie’s father is Barry Winkleman, a publisher, and her mother, Cynthia Black, is a children’s author.

Prince Philip took a fall while carriage driving recently, suffering a badly strained back and knocks to his eyes and nose. Typically, he bounced back quickly and has resumed his busy engagement round.

Let us hope the Depression has not stifled all the activities of the Royals and those around them.