TV journalism royalty lifts lid on the mysticism of the monarchy

Philip Cunnington on What's the Monarchy For?

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You may not have noticed - perhaps you've been on a solo circumnavigation of the globe, or exploring the vastness of Antarctica - but the royal family has been enmeshed in scandal of late.

A decade or more of divorce, death and dubious behaviour has seen more and more questions raised about the royals' place in the life of the country, and now here comes one of the best TV inquisitors of them all to ask some more.

Age is showing on the face of David Dimbleby these days, but his new series What's the Monarchy For? (BBC1, Tues, 9pm) shows his mind is as sharp as ever.

For Dimbleby, this may be like shooting particularly expensive fish in an exquisitely inlaid barrel, but given what we have learned about the royals over the last few years, these are questions that seem particular pertinent these days, questions which might finally dispel "the mysticism about the monarchy".

This first episode looked at power, and how the monarchy wields its own kind of power while also being at the mercy of others, even more powerful.