In line with her earlier attempts at modernizing the monarchy, the queen subsequently sought to present a less-stuffy and less-traditional image of the monarchy.
When al-Qaida militants in 2003 began a wave of violence in the kingdom aimed at toppling the monarchy, Abdullah cracked down hard.
If popularity is measured in mountains of aluminium ladders, union flags, television cameras, bunting, and more ladders – all faithfully disseminated in further mountains of newsprint and website live feeds of closed doors beginning (as the Telegraph's proudly proclaims) at 4am and ending at 11pm, then the monarchy, right at this moment in silly season, appears to be unassailable.
At 4 17 P.M., the monarchy of Louis Philippe fell.
They were so called from their belief that the time of the fifth monarchy was at hand that is, the monarchy that (according to a traditional interpretation of parts of the Bible) should succeed the Assyrian, Persian, Greek, and Roman monarchies and during which Christ should reign on earth with his saints for 1,000 years.
Now, after only five months and one very un-Jeevesian butler peddling his confidences, most recently his video diary of Diana to ABC News for at least $300,000, the monarchy is again a soap opera shambles.
The sultan is no stranger to controversy at home either – the monarchy was deeply embarrassed by a family feud with his brother Jefri Bolkiah over the latter's alleged embezzlement of $15bn during his tenure as finance minister in the 1990s.
