Brave Charles and Kate show off the best of Britain

THE timeless appeal of the monarchy has woven its magic once more.

- Leo McKinstry

At a moment of potentially enormous change, the political House of Windsor has just given us an impressive display of unity that stirred the nation.

Trooping the Colour is always a key landmark in the Royal calendar. It is the kind of evocative occasion at which Britain still excels, mixing the prestige of the Crown with precision of the military.

But this year, the event was given extra emotional power by the uplifting presence of the King and the Princess of Wales, both of whom have been through the ordeal of coping with cancer in recent months.

Indeed Catherine's condition has been so serious that she has not been able to appear in public for 173 days.

But that made her attendance alongside her beloved father-inlaw on Saturday all the more special, as was shown by the huge crowds that gathered in the Mall to greet her and her family despite the weather.

That outpouring of affection shows why the monarchy still works, even though it might seem an anachronism in our age of democracy.

Through the richness of its heritage, it is the ultimate symbol of our nationhood, bringing our citizens together in a way no other public institution can.

At most Trooping the Colour ceremonies, the soldiers, bands, and cavalry are centre-stage.

But this year it was different.