Even in illness, the King is setting an example for nation

NEWS of the King's cancer diagnosis has been met with profound shock and sympathy but the nation will rally around the monarch, N as the outpouring of goodwill messages from politicians of all parties demonstrates.

- Tim Newark

These are the bellwether moments for Britain, as evidenced during the aftermath of the Queen's death when the strength of affection and support for the Royal Family was overwhelming. Then, like now, the stability of our constitutional monarchy shone through, making us the envy of other nations around the world.

This is not to say tiny pockets of dissent are ever absent the Coronation, During another time of great popular support for the new King and the traditions of royalty, there were a handful of disaffected banner-wavers.

But the vast majority of Britons enjoyed the spectacle and the opportunity to display their patriotic support, even if not all are ardent monarchists.

Even the late Eric Hobsbawm, the far-Left historian, recognised constitutional monarchies of the type we enjoy in the UK as the most stable form of governance, stating that they had in general "proved a reliable framework for liberal-democratic regimes" and are "likely to remain useful".

AND this is especially true during a time of political change in an election year wild The overarching continuity of a monarchy balances swings in the parliamentary pendulum and saves us from a too-partisan head of state.