Princess Anne is right – the monarchy must remain as it is

Letters to the editor: our readers share their views. Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

I personally don’t want an elected head of state (AFP via Getty)

I read Kate Ng’s column regarding Princess Anne’s doubts about a “slimmed-down” monarchy with interest. As the hardest-working royal, the Princess is probably weighing up her ever-growing list of royal appointments and commitment to her charities, and wondering where the slack can be legitimately cut.

It may be a royal soundbite to reassure the public that the King sympathises with our parlous economic times, and that the royal family fully realises the need to show that they are cost-effective and are on board with the people in this country and conscious of their fiscal pain.

For what it is worth, and I am not au fait with the current individual cost to every taxpayer in this country but I think it is a negligible amount and worth paying for the ongoing prestige of this institution. Princess Anne is right that it does provide stability in a febrile and tenuous world, and it does move with the times and our current circumstances.

I personally don’t want an elected head of state because I can envisage the huge controversy surrounding that appointment. There will always be an ongoing democratic debate but I would caution that we don’t throw the monarchy out with the bath water. With this government’s somewhat fall from worldwide reputational grace, it is an area where we can and do excel.

Judith A Daniels

Norfolk

Party time

There are two party weekends ahead: the coronation and the Eurovision Song Contest. In one of these events, many nations are represented as people travel from all over the world to dress up in ridiculous camp outfits, speak and sing in strange foreign languages and deploy an eccentric collection of outlandish stage props.

Those for whom it is not their cup of tea would rather die than participate, but fortunately nobody takes it very seriously. I know which party I’m looking forward to.

Neil Barber

Edinburgh

The robots are coming

In order to reproduce and compete for survival, animals need to be able to perceive their environment, learn, communicate and move. It seems that AI already has all these abilities, and is in some respects superior to humans. We should be very afraid.

Susan Alexander

South Gloucestershire

How to solve the housing crisis?

James Moore is correct to identify that too many people are chasing too few homes and Britain is failing to build enough to cope with demand. But concreting over green fields is not the answer, unless the resultant new houses are ring-fenced for genuine local need.

To my knowledge, recent new developments in north Norfolk have largely satisfied the demand for second homes and holiday lets at prices few can afford. I am told of similar trends in Cornwall and the Lake District. Such new housing does nothing or very little to address the general problem. More borough councils and parish councils are seeking to prevent new housing from being bought for either such use.

Isn’t the answer to legally require all new housing in developments on greenfield sites to be made available only as primary residences, and for the government to offer the developers an appropriate subsidy to encourage their construction to satisfy genuine need?

Nick Eastwell

London

We must take energy companies to task

August Graham’s illuminating article says that BP’s huge profits will not necessarily be used to improve the world’s “green credentials” by reducing our reliance on oil without government intervention. Energy companies need to be offered incentives to invest their profits less in oil exploration and production, and instead turn their undoubted expertise to developing reusable energy supplies.

Spot trading must be abandoned for the benefit of energy users, and for a far greater benefit for the world; we need green, reusable energy opportunities.

Keith Poole

Basingstoke