Kate Hawkesby: Why has the Royal family left Meghan's family floundering?

So tomorrow's the big day, and what a build-up we've had. Talk about a soap opera.

I do wonder how much of this drama will have ensnared more people into watching the train wreck, versus those who may be put off by how much of a trashy circus it's become.

Either way, it feels a long, long way from the build-up to Wills and Kate's wedding, which we were here for seven years ago, where the biggest crime against Kate's family appeared to be a photo of her mother Carol Middleton chewing gum. What a distant memory that is.

As the wedding day gets closer, the build-up here has reached fever pitch.

Today we went to Windsor - it's beautiful, the scene is set for the fairytale. Bunting, flags, well wishers, it's ready to go. But this past week's been anything but fairytale.

The British press has been a fascinating watch throughout all of this. You have at one end, the salacious tabloids, dominating all the coverage, paying for stories, splashing the trash left, right and centre, replete with opinion pieces from the voracious attack dog Piers Morgan. Then at the other end, The Times, leading with Brexit and recyclable bags.

The piercing question has become: how could the royals let this happen?
An institution steeped in history, with a long list of issues around the British press, and yet it appeared happy to leave the poor Markle family floundering.

The question being asked by the press today is why have a big wedding if they hate 'intrusion'?

"Harry has always said he hates all the scrutiny that comes with being a royal, and just wishes he could be left in peace," opined one writer.

"He's been very vocal about media intrusion, and the negative impact on his future wife's wellbeing… [so] why stage such an Instagram-tastic occasion complete with a Vogue-style engagement shoot, a £100,000 wedding dress, 600 guests, hot-and-cold running celebrities and more expansive hype than a Kardashian's bottom?"

There are questions about the Hollywood treatment this wedding's received. Questions around why so few of her family were invited, obviously sparking ire and ill will, why her mother got to London so late in the piece, why her father wasn't flown in earlier or at least protected. Questions around whether Harry's control freak nature in trying to control the press has actually now backfired on him.

At the end of the day though, none of these things matter. It's actually not up to us, nor is it any of our business. The tabloids' job is to sell papers, the Markle family playing ball with their open dysfunction and chaos only made the papers' job easier.

But a wedding is not the fairytale ending of a love story, it's actually just the beginning. Where it goes from here is of far more interest and relevance than who said what in the lead up. And having now witnessed Windsor, the excitement, the goodwill, the enthusiasm, it feels like nothing now could dampen the big day.