A very British Duchess

It is our great fortune to have a royal family whose members are such hard-working servants of the nation. That attitude has, of course, been set by the Queen, whose own long-standing dedication has played such a part in fostering the universal affection she meets wherever she goes. But joining such a family, with its necessary traditions, duties and constraints, may not always be a straightforward matter. Yesterday, however, the Duchess of Cornwall revealed how she has managed to do so with such aplomb. She was brought up, she says, not to “whinge” and now, despite a packed schedule of engagements as she approaches her 70th birthday, she prizes being “a glass half-full person” who just “gets on with it”. She mixes all that with a good dose of humour – a winning combination which she sums up in two words: “Being British!”