WE may not at the time of going to press know the name of the fourth in line to the throne but the arrival of the latest member of the Royal Family has, as always, defied the critics and captured the imagination of the world.

Even amid the hurly-burly of the last days of the closest election battle to be fought in the UK for some time, the delivery of a royal princess to the Duchess of Cambridge has stolen the front pages from the politicians.

It is a reminder of how, at the centre of our national life, the Royal Family still commands the high ground.

Which is a quite remarkable achievement looking back on the last few decades and the world into which the little princess has been born.

Her great grandmother’s long reign has been peppered with challenges to the throne’s authority and Her Majesty has witnessed such a cultural change that few monarchs could have survived.

Yet the House of Windsor still reigns supreme, perhaps because at the heart of our nation we seek stability at its core.

The new princess will witness many changes in her lifetime.

Threats to the monarch and family of which she is now a member, however, do not seem likely.