Readers' letters - December 11

The times they are a-changing for royals
The engagement of Prince Harry to his divorcee American girlfriend Meghan Markle has been making the headlinesThe engagement of Prince Harry to his divorcee American girlfriend Meghan Markle has been making the headlines
The engagement of Prince Harry to his divorcee American girlfriend Meghan Markle has been making the headlines

The engagement of Prince Harry to his divorcee American girlfriend Meghan Markle is currently making the headlines in the world and national news media.

The couple are obviously in love with each other and deserve every future happiness together.

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Compare their current situation with the one faced in 1936 by the then Prince of Wales, and later Edward VIII, who had to abdicate his kingdom because he fell in love with Wallis Simpson, an American socialite divorcee.

In those days, the concept of the heir to the British throne marrying a divorcee was taboo. The Royal Family, Church of England, and the political establishment were all up in arms about the prospect of the very popular Prince of Wales marrying the love of his life. The outcome was that Edward VIII, who reigned as King of the United Kingdom from January 20, 1936, abdicated his titles on December 11, 1936 to become HRH the Duke of Windsor.

Mrs Simpson was refused the title of Her Royal Highness and given the title of Duchess of Windsor, the couple married in 1937 and lived abroad, the Duke dying in Paris in 1972.

All too often in life one can look back to the old days, and rightly so, when things were perceived to be better than today.

In this case the opposite definitely applies.

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Today there is a much more tolerant approach by Royalty, Church, and Political Establishment towards divorce.

Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew were all divorced. Three of them were remarried and accepted back into Society by all bodies – unlike the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

I suggest that everyone should wish Harry and Meghan well in their new life together. It is a pity that the Duke and Duchess of Windsor could not have been accorded the same consideration and acceptance prior to and after their marriage in 1937.

As the lyrics of Bob Dylan’s 1964 popular song say: “The Times They Are a-Changing.”

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In Harry and Meghan’s future marriage I hope it is all for the better in everyone’s eyes.

Cyril Olsen

Address supplied

POLITICS

Upsetting the apple cart

We were in Israel a few weeks ago and, whilst there, we went to Jerusalem and the Holy City.

We never at any time felt intimidated.

It was akin to walking through any town or city in England.

There were armed soldiers on certain check points, yet they were mostly friendly and amicable.

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The people living there mingled with each other without any qualms.

The city itself is very nice.

However now that President Donald Trump has decided to move the American Embassy into Jerusalem and tell the world Jerusalem is the capital of Israel because that is what he wants.

He has, or it seems he has, started something he may wish he never had.

Why he has to be so belligerent and interfere with issues that do not concern him, only he

knows.

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When it seems as if the past is being buried and the population are getting on with their lives after years of conflict, there is always somebody who wants to upset the apple cart.

Geoff Marsden

via email

politics

He’s not welcome

Donald Trump has confirmed his decision to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem, thus recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, even though Palestinians claim the eastern part of the city as their own.

This will constitute the complete abandonment of any peace process and will influence regional unrest and conflict.

This view has been echoed by Middle Eastern leaders who have warned of ‘disastrous consequences’.

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Theresa May should condemn this move and tell Trump he is not welcome in this country.

John Appleyard

Address supplied

POLITICS

Why not sorted at the time?

Did Damian Green have porn on his work computer eight years ago?

It was supposed to have been found by the police, yet they did nothing, so we are led to believe.

The police officers who looked into all this at the time didn’t take it any further.

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Why was it swept under the carpet? Was that pressure from the top?

Yet all these years later they are choosing to talk about it now. If there were concerns, they should have made their voices heard back then. Theresa doesn’t have many allies right now.

I bet she is hoping this story will die down as she won’t want to lose him.

Jayne Grayson

via email

nostalgia

Landlady had

a divine right

Regarding the article about the pub landlady who ran the Kirkstone Pass Inn and was charged for the rainwater collected off her own land (Retro, November 11).

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She should have contacted the CEO of the relevant water company and explained that the rain that fell on her property was God’s water and she had a divine right to it.

Failing that, she should have informed the water company that she would collect most of this water in rain butts and the water company could collect it, but she would have to impose a handling charge. If that failed and the company insisted it was their water then she should have told them to stop it raining on her roof as it was making her property damp.

Paul Helmn

Chorley

poverty

Compassion

for homeless

It’s terrible how there are so many people sleeping on the streets in the area. No matter what town you visit, all you see is people in shop doorways, with nowhere to go and begging for food.

It’s the times and a disgrace to this government and the public for allowing it.

We should all have compassion for people worse off in life and try to feed them and speak to them as we pass. It’s the least we can do.

John Yale

Address supplied