It seems to be the way they rock. Precious privacy, obsessive secrecy – and then wham bam, another bombshell. Yes, Harry and Meghan, we are indeed all gobsmacked. Furthermore, we are all left asking the same simple question: Why?

Don’t get me wrong: I hope this extraordinary change of direction works out for them. It seems like a brave move, given the family tensions and the hostility towards the Sussexes suggested by opinion polls.

But the vacuum created by the lack of information about their decision has led to all sorts of wild speculation: has the American dream turned out to be a flop? Is Harry unbearably unhappy in the States? Are they trying to weedle their way back into the fold of working royals? Or is it all about the children’s education? And on that point, how on earth have they managed to choose a school and have Archie and Lilibet enrolled without a whisper getting out?

How much clearer it would all have been if he’d issued a statement explaining the decision and setting out at least some of the reasons behind it. It seems he didn’t even tell his father about it when he went for tea at Highgrove last month. The King must be left scratching his head and wondering why he was only informed about it last Sunday. This is hardly the way you go about rekindling a close and loving relationship. Trust is a vital component within the royal family and one that Harry has squandered. Did he not even trust his own father with his news?

The repercussions are many: unwelcome headlines about the dynamics of a troubled family when they are all trying to have a pleasant, quiet summer break; questions about who pays for the Sussexes’ security (and what has changed so dramatically from when Harry said he couldn’t foresee a world where it would be safe to bring his family here?) And a quandary for the Palace mandarins over whether the Prince is on the road to finally achieving the “half in half out” status he wanted in the first place. It’s understood nothing has changed on that front, the late Queen and the King ruled it out. But the fact is Harry is carrying out an increasing amount of charity work — much of it in the UK, he and Meghan go on overseas tours and they still have commercial activities. It is almost a fait accompli.

One thing is for sure. This puts William in a very difficult position. The rift between the brothers is deep, but with Harry thousands of miles away in California it was somehow less front and centre. However, when the two Princes are living in the same country, with their children – first cousins – still strangers to one another, the rift is going to look like a chasm.

What, for example, will happen at Christmas? The royal family always gather at Sandringham and make that ever popular morning walk to church. Will the King invite both his sons – or will he have to choose? Will William conveniently decide it’s time to spend Christmas with his in-laws and give Sandringham a miss? Harry has firmly placed the ball in William’s court.

I hope this move can signal the start of a reconciliation between the brothers. Harry is right, life is indeed precious – and especially when your elderly father is living with cancer.

I cannot think that Meghan is looking forward to leaving sunny California as we head into our long dark winter months. Perhaps she is taking one for the team because she loves her husband and knows that he misses his homeland. Just in case it doesn’t work out, they are hanging on to their Montecito mansion. And that’s probably wise.

There will be testing times ahead, and we should all bear in mind that this is a woman who said she was driven to suicidal thoughts by the way she was treated when she lived in the UK. The pile-on has already begun in some quarters, but it needs to stop. Now.