Three cheers for Wills, Harry and the Prince of Wales. We can only guess what anguish has been theirs these last 11 months, as they faced the demands and challenges of life in the face of terrible bereavement and loss. But it would be a hard heart indeed which did not warm to the manner of their doing it.
Some hearts doubtless ran cold last weekend at those pictures of Prince Harry abseiling without proper helmet and safety equipment. As in just about everything concerning the royals, the episode found public opinion divided. Some were actually cheered by apparent recklessness running counter to a safety culture in which the majority of children can no longer play unsupervised, feeding perpetual concerns that over-protectiveness denies our young the experience and independence necessary for their development and the transition to adulthood.
Others - while acknowledging that it was foolhardy, that Prince Charles was right to be cross, and that minder Tiggy Legge Burke probably deserved a bit of a rollicking - will have found the image of the young dare-devil prince a wonderful affirmation of life itself.
At another level entirely, some questioned whether we had any right to see those images at all. There has been criticism of the couple who happened on the incident and subsequently offered their famous snapshots for sale. If their motive was purely concern for the safety of the prince, couldn't they simply have sent the photographs to his father at his well-known address in central London?
The Palace, however, wasn't picking a fight on this one. While ordinarily they would have regarded the taking and subsequent publication of the pictures as an invasion of privacy, it was recognised that there was in this instance a legitimate public interest.
Even so, some commentators have recalled the solemn pledges given in the aftermath of the death of Princess Diana - that the security, welfare and happiness of her sons would be paramount during the years of their minority. And we may be sure Prince Charles will be counting on them as he and his children face the particularly difficult days in the run-up to the first anniversary of Diana's death.
William and Harry were reportedly furious when details leaked of their "surprise" birthday bash for their father at Highgrove the other week. Silence was probably too much to ask for - not least because Mrs Parker Bowles was among the invited guests. Similarly, the leaked news that first William, and then Harry, had met Camilla was simple confirmation, were any needed, that that relationship - and any plans the heir to the throne may have to remarry - remains of consuming interest to the watching world.
Sceptics were inclined to wonder if the news wasn't deliberately leaked as part of an ongoing campaign to condition public opinion for precisely that eventuality. The subsequent sacking of Mrs Parker Bowles' offending aide dispelled that, although the disclosure will have had some beneficial effect. Whatever people thought about the relationship between Charles and Diana, the apportionment of blame and their disappointment that the fairytale turned sour - Prince Charles has made it clear that Mrs Parker Bowles is an important part of his life. And it would seem equally clear that their ability to come to terms with that fact, and to be easy with it, is actually pretty crucial for William and Harry themselves.
Some royal observers also feel that, given her quite extraordinary discretion, Mrs Parker Bowles deserves the fresh appraisal which will surely come with time. What little has been authoritatively written about her actually makes her sound quite a good thing. And in the same spirit many will have been delighted that a tabloid snapper caught Prince Charles embracing Prince William as they departed on separate flights for their holiday in Greece.
It was a striking image, challenging many of the assumptions about the Prince of Wales and his "cold" character. Much will be written about Diana's legacy in the coming days and weeks. But one fancies that the knowledge that at least one member of the House of Windsor has learned to hug, and that between Charles and her boys there is clearly warmth and affection, would have pleased her most.