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British royalists have had a good summer.

In June, the Queen鈥檚 Jubilee generated a frenzy of national flag-waving, while her appearance alongside James Bond in a now viral clip for the Olympic opening ceremony delighted even Britons normally indifferent to their often taciturn head of state. Support for the monarchy is at record levels, the product of what some regard as a meticulous rebranding of the institution undertaken after support dipped amid disapproval of Buckingham Palace鈥檚 initial reaction to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Yet today, on the 15th anniversary of her death, it is the roles played by her two sons in helping to reinforce the royal brand that have come under scrutiny following two recent episodes that led to markedly contrasting depictions of Princes Harry and William.

The former鈥檚 highly publicized indiscretions in Las Vegas left many monarchists shaking their heads at the behavior of a royal whose previous public relations disasters have included being photographed at party in Nazi uniform and recorded using racial slurs on another occasion. Meanwhile, coverage of a pair of successful rescues by Prince William's Royal Air Force helicopter unit bolstered the older brother's emerging image as a safe pair of hands.

Tomasz Mludzinski, a senior research executive at pollsters Ipsos MORI, points out survey findings from June underlining the particular appeal of William, whose approval ratings (89 percent of Britons are satisfied with how he is doing his job) are higher than his father鈥檚, Prince Charles (78 percent), and on a par with the Queen鈥檚 (90 percent).

鈥淚t鈥檚 also striking that the youngest age group polled, 18- to 34-year-olds, who are the least supportive of the idea of the monarchy, are most favorable towards Prince William,鈥� he adds.

Ipsos MORI haven鈥檛 polled on Prince Harry鈥檚 satisfaction ratings although much media commentary about him has tended to be increasingly positive in recent years, helped by the seriousness with which he has taken his military career and royal ambassadorial duties. His communication skills have also impressed.

But the coverage of the Las Vegas affair has been mixed. Andrew Morton, Diana鈥檚 biographer, claimed: 鈥淭he sober reality is that [Harry鈥檚] nude escapades have created a gaping hole in the image courtiers have carefully constructed for him over the past 10 years.鈥�

Pointing out that their mother always intended that Harry, the third in line to the throne, would be a back-up and 鈥渁dmirable adviser鈥� to William, Mr. Morton predicted in an article for the Daily Telegraph that the second in line would in time take 鈥渕ore sober counsel鈥� from his wife, Kate Middleton.

He added that royal advisers would be all the more disappointed with Harry because he has been 鈥渢he oil 鈥� and sometimes the emollient 鈥� between courtiers and the younger royals, particularly his brother.鈥�

However, other observers suggest that Harry is likely to be cut some slack by sections of the public charmed by his sense of mischief and tendency to depart from protocol.

鈥淗is role in the armed forces is another element鈥� that might soften the public's view of the Vegas episode, adds Professor Neil Blain, who heads Stirling University鈥檚 media department and has written extensively on royalty.聽 鈥淲ill he be seen as an army captain taking time off and letting off steam?鈥�

Mr. Blain meanwhile contends that both Harry and William have been more important in terms of the royal rebranding project because of what he says is 鈥渁n ambiguity around Charles in terms of how suitable he is seen as a successor.鈥�

鈥淗e has fans but the amount of attention which has been placed on the boys by the Palace public relations machine probably has a lot to do with the sense that the relationship that the public has with Charles and Camilla [his second wife] is a bit problematic.鈥�

鈥淭he core fact of the royal brand remains that it is still terribly centered on the Queen. We don鈥檛 really know what public attachment to the monarchy will be like after her.鈥�