A Distinguished Commentator's Analysis of What 2015 Has In Store for the Royals

[cinrit]

Next year sees a milestone in British history. On September 9, our present monarch will have reigned longer than her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, making her the longest serving in our history.

Like Victoria, Elizabeth II has come in old age to be a hugely venerated figure. The majority of the population cannot remember a time without her. Indeed, most Britons will have been born during her reign.

And yet there remains the fact that we are at the close of the second Elizabethan age. Students of history will tell you that the final years of any era are characterised by uncertainty.

Certainly, the modus operandi of the House of Windsor – a style that was set by Edward VII and has continued pretty much unaltered ever since – will eventually have to change to meet the challenges of a new generation and a new century.

More: A distinguished commentator's brilliant analysis of what the New Year has in store: Our longest serving monarch? Meltdown for the ruling class?

Cindy