A ROYAL "summit" was taking place at Balmoral today to discuss the future of the monarchy.

We have, of course, already had a glimpse of the agenda - proposals for reducing the Civil List, scrapping the male primogeniture rule, allowing those in line to the throne to marry Catholics and even ending the Crown's role as defender of the faith.

There is no doubt that domestic upheavals have badly shaken the monarchy - and public respect for and confidence in it.

But the Queen, her family and her advisers must tread carefully.

In view of what, following his divorce and the recriminative revelations leading up to it, seems to be a concerted campaign to enable Prince Charles to have his mistress publicly accepted, it is important that the public is not given the impression that the reforms afoot at the summit today are merely moves to facilitate that process.

For with so many people having become disenchanted with royalty, the last thing the Crown needs is to be seen as trying to manipulate the public while pretending to be making changes with its concerns in mind.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.