Finally, we are most amused

And the upshot? Across her unresponsive family of nations, throughout her disunited kingdom, the republicans rub their hands with glee; another chime of the death knell of the monarchy. Time for the Firm to move aside.

During the visit, one Indian journalist explained the Firm as an expression coined by the British public to express the drab uniformity of the Royal Family. But it was the Family themselves who came up with the term.

Very little monochrome rolls out of this enterprise funerals and black cocktail frocks aside. Drama and excitement are manufactured, more powerful and effective than even the most addictively soap. Even while dancing within the narrow bands of its own protocol, the Family has created the greatest show of them all. When the cameras pan away they don8217;t slide out of their beautiful, created personas into grungy clothes. They go on being royal.

The greatness of Britain may have diminished, other governments may snigger behind their big powerful hands and look down on poor little Britain, dear, small island just not quite able to move with the times. But when the royal showboat comes to town they all bob and bow, talk earnestly and sweat profusely as Her Majesty gets closer to them in the handshake line-up.

Wouldn8217;t we all wear gloves if we had to shake a thousand sweating palms?They may go away afterwards and nod in agreement with the bitching in the press but the fact remains that they bobbed and bowed and caught a whiff of that elusive scent, the mystery of monarchy.

The death of the princess put the royal family on public trial and now that trial has continued across the globe. Lessons are being learnt.

The lesson for the people. Princess8217; was the nub of that one. When LOVED Lacuna Of Violent Emotion for Diana began, the public almost had to remind themselves that she had been royalty. She had moved out of the inner circle and invented another kind of celebrity status, a chameleon one; saint one day, frolicking playboy partner the next. How clever of Tony Blair and his spin doctors to give her a new tag so that everyone could sigh with relief and know that they were mourning their8217; princess.

And the lessons for the Firm. There is no longer a ruler but a reign, no more empire but a community. What people want is for some royal glamour to be sprinkled into their lives. If the people had wanted to get rid of their Queen they would have demanded that she stay away from Diana8217;s funeral. That would have been the rejection. Instead, they said, Comfort us Ma8217;am8217;, when she wisely stayed in Scotland to nurture her grandsons. The public wanted her to go to them, to hold their hands too. India wanted to see a grand show politics aside a little bit of royalty to get everyone in the Diwali mood. Time will pass, the rancour will fade.

Let the republicans sound the knell, but the Firm sees now that the bell tolls not for the monarchy as the glint goes out of the republicans8217; eyes.