WITHIN a couple of years I hope to take the oath of Australian citizenship. It's something I take seriously, not least because of the relief of finally being able to vote.

It will also place me in the uncomfortable position of being a citizen of a country whose head of state's family has a tradition of doing cruel and unusual things to Irish people.

Yet despite my qualms about the British royals' connections with lopping off Irish heads and wringing the life out of Ireland's culture, I have lately developed an increasing admiration for the Windsors.

The visit of Prince William is an opportunity to restate the case for limited monarchy. One can be forgiven for ambivalence towards our system since its defenders at the last referendum, Australians for Constitutional Monarchy, ran a dishonest but winning campaign.

By campaigning on "Not this republic", it admitted defeat on the core principle and damaged the credibility of its good cause. Part of me would prefer Australia was a wholehearted republic than a grudging, limited monarchy, yet the case for celebrating our present arrangements is compelling.