All smiles

The announcement that Prince William is to marry his long term girlfriend, Kate Middleton, certainly seemed to put a smile on a lot of peoples faces yesterday. There is no doubt that the news brought a buzz of excitement and lifted the morale in my office yesterday - which is no mean feat given the tough economic circumstances and the number of recently vacated desks - but there was one person in particular whose grin was as wide as the Cheshire cat's - David Cameron.

This could, of course, be due to the fact that Cameron is, like me, an unapologetic monarchist, but the cynic in me can't help wondering if the real reason Cameron was grinning like a demented lunatic is the fact that in one brief moment Clarence House had managed to lift the doom and gloom that was settling over the increasingly divided and derided coalition which he leads.

Governments love royal weddings. In terms of poll ratings it is the quickest and easiest way to improve your standing and is second in effectiveness only to the successful conclusion of a short, successful war.

The bad news for Cameron is that the wedding will take place within a year - which means that whatever benefits his doomed government feels now will be long gone by the time the next election is due - though I still doubt that they will survive even that long.

However, for the time being let us celebrate the engagement of the lovely couple and I wish them both long, happy and successful lives together.