The monarchy is an institution irrelevant for a modern age.

It is ludicrous to have our head of state chosen from one family, indeed I think it would be illegal under European conventions on discrimination.

The Royal Family would not still be here today if it were not for World War II when they created the false image that they did as much as everybody else.

You would have thought the Queen Mother had single-handedly fought off the Luftwaffe with an umbrella. They did stay in London - - but so did everybody else.

When the seemingly interminable celebrations for her 100th birthday are over I think there will be a reassessment of the whole institution. Many see the Queen Mother as the final empress of a vanished empire and I think it will be perceived as the end of an era.

The royals' fate rests very much on public opinion and people's perceptions of them as individuals and I think the succession between the Queen and Charles will be a turning point.

There is a residual view that the Queen is handling the role quite well and she unfortunately shows no desire for change.

Charles is a whole new ballgame and even if he is crowned I do not believe it will be for long. He is controversial and seen by many as a spoilt brat and completely out of touch.

There is of course no way the throne could go directly to William, as this would defeat the whole hereditary principle.

There is a lot of republican feeling within the new Labour party and with the hereditary peers now gone from the House of Lords it will be interesting to see what happens next.