In the Queen Mother’s household, the man with the most difficult job was undoubtedly her treasurer, Major Sir Ralph Anstruther. Sir Ralph, who held the post from 1961 to 1998, is remembered as having been a meticulously dressed but not especially financially proficient man who had “but a hazy idea of costs”.

The Duke of Sussex will be eligible to receive a substantial sum on September 15 from a trust established by Queen Elizabeth.