YOUTH MATTERS Elizabeth Annett...Why the Royals are keeping it real

With the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge recently celebrating their first anniversary and the Diamond Jubilee fast approaching, the Royals have been at the centre of the media spotlight. The younger members have received criticism for being pictured at parties and for not upholding the strictly respectable royal reputation. Yet it is this that gains the support of the younger British public.

Snaps of Catherine in short black dresses in her uni days and of Pippa at lavish French parties reminds us they are young and yes, they too have made mistakes. Harry’s party boy image, far from harming the Royals’ reputation, gives him an appeal to the British youth. He may have made the mistake of dressing up as a Nazi in the past but he is now winning awards for his military charity work and using his royal status to support a cause he truly cares about. Maintaining his rebellious edge, he has become the lovable rogue character we can’t help but adore. Though he may be a prince, we can still see ourselves taking him out for a pint, although you might have to buy the secret service a bag of crisps as well.

The Duchess of Cambridge has been welcomed into the Royal family and the nation’s heart with open arms. A ‘commoner’ who wooed her prince at university, it is hard not to be charmed by her story. If that fails, her hypnotising hair is sure to enchant the hardest of hearts. She has given everyone the hope their Cinderella story is still out there and shown the royal family not to be elitist and inaccessible.

Catherine’s charity work and Harry and William’s military service show them to be respectable role models.

These young royals demonstrate the palace’s ability to mean different things to different people. They have given the palace a much-needed face-lift and shown they are a family not far off our own, just with a few more crowns and corgis.