Although it is all too easy to think of Queen Elizabeth II, as being something of an old fart the truth is that Her Madge would appear to have one eye firmly on the future. Indeed, the thoroughly modern monarch can already be found broadcasting just like the Pope on her very own YouTube channel and is said to be a keen iPod owner. As far as I am aware the Pope is a Microsoft Zune kind of guy (only joking.) Oh, and the Royal Family got all webbed up as far back in time as 1997 when The Official Website of the British Monarchy first launched.
Unfortunately, some might say just like the Royal Family itself, the website has been in desperate need of a makeover for some time. The good news is that it has now got just that, with a Buckingham Palace spokesperson announcing a "cutting edge" and "interactive" update.
So what does Royalty 2.0 have to offer the pleb on the web?
Well, there is a Google Maps mashup for starters, great for finding out where the Royals have been and where they are going. Oh, and you can now apply for a job at Buck House online as well, just in case the notion of a life of servitude appeals to you.
What else? Erm, ah yes, a YouTube Royal Clips archive and a more intuitive navigation system.
But that's it. Where is the Twitter feed, the nod to social networking, the feeling that the common visitor can actually be a part of the Royal world? There;s not even a mention of Prince Charles and his wine and cheese powered Aston Martin to lighten things up a bit.
Considering that it has taken a decade to update the bloody site, you might have thought we could have got something a little more 21st century. It's not as if the budget was on a shoestring, after all.
One wonders how it manages to clock up 100 million hits a year, to be frank.
