Opinion: Royals deserve praise for youth work

We have been reminded of this in recent weeks by Prince Harry's completion of officer training at Sandhurst and subsequent evening of lap dancing at Spearmint Rhino, and the BBC's portrait of his grandmother at 80 - a woman who had just one day among ordinary people but who carries the political history of post-war Britain in her memory. It is easy to be disparaging, but there is another side to the story.

I was in Merthyr Tydfil recently and Princess Anne had paid a visit that included some of the local provision for young offenders. Everyone I talked to spoke highly of her: how well briefed she was; the sensible questions she put to those who were introduced to her. I met her in 1987 and recall having the same impression. Before that encounter I had other images of the Princess Royal, but they did not include a detailed understanding of social deprivation and the life chances of young people.