A week ago, Oprah Winfrey blew her fairy dust into the ether, and minutes later Americans who idolise George Washington and have “Liberty Or Death” engraved on their assault rifles were expressing their admiration for the longevity of the British royal family, while radical young progressives were leaping to the defence of a young aristocrat who once dressed up as a Nazi at a fancy-dress party for the one percent of the one percent.