Yesterday's State opening of parliament in London had all the trappings of a well worn and, for the British political system, generally much loved ritual. It is an occasion for the Royal Family to be paraded before the country and the wider world and in that regard it may, for some, dull the echo of apparently never-ending royal scandals in which the House of Windsor is mired.
Here is relevance, here is Queen Elizabeth at the very heart of the political life of her people. Or rather that is the official perspective, even if her words are scripted by the government and she is a mere cipher for the thoughts of the Cabinet. It is what is expected, however, and Britain has become accustomed also to seeing the role of prime minister played by Mr Tony Blair.
But the trip-wires of politics - Harold Macmillan's "events" - have begun to make Mr Blair seem less invulnerable than at any earlier time in his premiership. For many in Britain, Mr Blair will not easily be forgiven for his robust and determined support for President George Bush. Nor is his reputation likely to be enhanced by the report of the inquiry into the suicide of the Iraq weapons scientist, Dr David Kelly.
These two related black marks for Mr Blair may persuade some centre-right Labour supporters to vote for the Liberal Democrats. And some otherwise Tory voters, the so-called one nation Conservatives sickened by the euro-phobic civil war within their own party and who "lent" their votes to Mr Blair, may also be tempted back by the evidently more feisty leadership being offered by the new leader, Mr Michael Howard.
The Queen's Speech, in which Mr Blair's legislative programme was outlined, contained little that was revolutionary but much that will be controversial. Universities are to be allowed treble their fees to £3,000 a year. Children of failed asylum seekers will be taken into care if their parents refuse a free flight home. (In a marked change of tone for the usually anti-immigration, anti-refugee Tories, it was notable that Mr Howard, in a tough, confident and pointed response to the speech, was particularly angry at this proposal. Could that be because Mr Howard's own family fled anti-Semitic persecution in Romania?) Gay couples will be able to enter civil partnership recognised by the state. There is the promise of a ban on hunting, but no details, and there will be further reform of the House of Lords.
In the end, Mr Blair will be judged on the economy and public services. But as he seeks to wrest back the initiative, he faces unpredictable events and a reinvigorated opposition.