accounts.

Princess Anne's visit also reflects the changing role of the Royal Family and how it is undergoing a metamorphosis to an institution which emphasises service to the communities it serves.

It is clear that Royal visits no longer draw the massive crowds or awe that they once did -- in Bermuda or elsewhere. The Royal Family's own efforts to become more accessible to the public contribute to this change, as does the changing nature of society.

This is reflected in the decisions of parts of the Commonwealth to stop having the Queen as head of state -- as is now occurring in Australia -- and questions about the role of the Royal Family in Britain.

But if a new role for the Royal Family is emerging, then Princess Anne may well be its trailblazer.

As evidenced by her trip here, she quietly gets on with the job of working hard for the charities she leads, pays visits and therefore gives support to innumerable good causes and leads an apparently unimpeachable private life.

By all accounts, she demonstrated a wide and informed knowledge of the world during her visit, whether she was at the National Gallery discussing art, meeting officials and members of Riding for the Disabled and Windreach -- and even discussing the Rugby World Cup with members of Mariners Rugby Football Club while visiting the Sailors Home.

As Opposition Leader Pamela Gordon noted after calling on Princess Anne last Thursday, "she is not uninhibited in her Royal status so much that it stops her being sociable''.

The fact that she can give needed support to charities and good causes by her presence, while at the same time she is able to mix and interact with people of all walks of life says much for her and for the continued importance of the Royal Family as a unifying institution.

DESERVED AWARD EDT Deserved award The Bermuda Aquarium, National History Museum and Zoo's regional prize from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association for its Biodiversity Project shows that "little Bermuda'' can make a mark on the world stage.

The project won the award over competition from many larger and arguably more prestigious institutions and shows that when the community gets behind a project, it can win international recognition.

No-one should underestimate the importance of the Biodiversity Project, which is aimed at recording all the animal, sea and plant life in Bermuda. This is a vital project if Bermuda is to retain the variety of life on its shores -- and to enable Bermudians to enjoy a quality of life which has few parallels.

The fact that the project has won an award is one thing, but no-one should rest on their laurels as a result. It is important that the community continues to support the project through to completion.