Letter: Royalty and the ratpack
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: Matthew Symonds's article ('John Major's duty to his Queen', 10 September) on the crisis faced by the Royal Family was well-meaning, and I appreciated the sympathetic concern he brought to its distress. But in suggesting that the Royal Family will protect itself against further criticism by adjusting the Civil List, he plays into the hands of the people whose bloodlust, as he rightly says, would not even be satisfied with the destruction of the Wales's marriage.
Does Mr Symonds seriously think that, if the Queen made the financial changes he recommends, the press would start to respect her privacy and that of her family? Far from it: her actions would simply serve to justify the claims of the press that those who it calls 'the minor Royals' are parasites.
The issue is not merely the economics of the monarchy; nor is it the economics of newspaper-selling, for all the talk of circulation wars. The terrible malevolence of the ratpack towards anyone who fails to conform to its hypocritical morality seems to go beyond greed for money. It is a cancer in our society that must be tackled head on.
The power of the press to destroy lives is formidable. Who is brave enough to tackle it?
Yours sincerely,
JULIET KANE
London, NW3
11 September
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments