Letter: A remarried Prince and the church

Sir: There are many who feel that the best method of financing the monarchy, and all that goes with it, is to abolish the Civil List, the monies for the upkeep of the various buildings and so on, to return to the monarch the revenue from the Crown Estates and to make the monarch of the day wholly responsible for the maintenance of buildings, the upkeep of the family, the maintenance of the royal yachts, the Royal Flight, the pageantry which happens as a matter of course, and the hospitality which occurs at state visits.

The high expenditure and the responsibilities would enforce a better management of both the Royal Family and the finances of state occasions and would engender a perception of the Royals as less profligate.

DAVID W F PHILLIPS

St John's College, Oxford