Penny Junor - The Firm

That, of course, would be disastrous. But it could be equally disastrous if William let Kate Middleton go, only to discover when it was too late that she was indeed the one and he was left to spend the rest of his life regretting it.

Kate is no aristocrat. One profile writer rather sniffily said that her lineage ‘can’t be traced much further back than the suburbanisation of Berkshire’. Who cares? She is well brought up and she has money and that counts just as much as breeding these days. She is well educated (Marlborough College), she’s pretty, she’s sporty, she’s fun, she’s loyal and she has a hugely loyal band of friends who love her dearly. She would bring new glamour to the House of Windsor, as well as personality and brains. She has also shown remarkable cool in dealing with the press, and by all accounts, the fame of her situation doesn’t seem to have gone to her head.

William is still young and he will decide who he wants to spend his life with when he is good and ready. Let’s hope it is not only someone he loves but someone who will be a soulmate, a companion and a support. The Queen had just that in the Duke of Edinburgh. Whatever flirtations may or may not have taken place along the way, it has been a stunningly successful partnership and greatly beneficial to the security of the monarchy. Charles finally has Camilla and the danger that attached to his failed marriage to Diana has passed. William has a great many of his grandmother’s qualities. Let’s hope – for his sake and for the sake of the monarchy and, ultimately, the country – that picking the right spouse is one of them.

The Family Firm in about 1945. Waving to the crowds, being famous, being feted and photographed was something Princess Elizabeth had grown up with. And something she never questioned.

Diana had had no such preparation. She was working in a kindergarden when she began seeing Charles – and knew nothing about dealing with the media. But it didn’t take her long to learn. She became an expert.

Happy families on the balcony to watch the Royal Air Force fly past, ending the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony – a fixture in Royal calendars since 1748. But appearances were deceptive – the Prince’s marriage was already in trouble.

Back on the balcony during the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Diana gone, the dynamics changed bur life goes on. And, des pite the horrors of the Nineties and media predictions that it would be a flop, huge crowds greeted the Queen as she toured the country and hundreds of thousands flocked to the Mall.

The Party at the Palace – the night the Queen hosted a pop concert for 12,000 people in the gardens of Buckingham Palace. Nothing like it had ever happened before. Modern music but old-fashioned protocol: Camilla Parker Bowles was seated in the row behind the Prince of Wales.

Prince Charles shooting at Sandringham accompanied by Michael Fawcett, at that time his valet. He resigned after the Peat Report but still has great influence.

A young Paul Burrell in happier days, carrying one of the Queen’s corgis off the Queen’s Flight as the household returns to London after the summer break in Balmoral.

The Queen and Prince Philip arriving at Riyadh in Saudi Arabia on Concorde in 1979. Important – not just for strengthening links between the two countries, but also to be flag-waving for British industry.

Not all travel is supersonic when you’re Queen. The Gold State Coach, used only three times during the course of her rein, was built by George III in 1762 and has been used for every coronation since 1831. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh also used it to take them to St Paul’s Cathedral for the service of thanksgiving for the Queen’s Silver and Golden Jubilees.

Prince Philip on parade during the Trooping the Colour. He no longer rides a horse at the ceremony – to his indignation – bur he is there beside the Queen as he has been for more than 50 years. Most men of his age have been retired for twenty years.

The Queen Mother, a diminutive figure beside the regimental mascot of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards. She had a magic touch with everyone and a very soft spot for all her regiments – and their dogs.

The Queen in her element – rain or shine – at the Windsor Horse Show. She was insistent that the people of Britain should know abour Monty Roberts, ‘the Horse Whisperer’, and his revolutionary training methods.

‘Here is the stuff of which fairytales are made’ declared the Archbishop of Canterbury as he made Charles and Diana man and wife. And the nation roared in approval as the Prince kissed his bride.

But the fairytale had an unhappy ending. By the time they were touring Korea they had given up pretending. Official separation was only weeks away.

Diana reached out to people in a way that royalty never had before.

Anne’s approach, by comparison, looked cold and unfeeling.

Diana understood instinctively what put people at their ease – and the importance of being on the same level.