9 APRIL 1977, Page 17

A brick

Sir: Mr Davey (Letters, 26 March) is either indulging in subtle republican propaganda or in hideous mixed metaphors. If the Queen is indeed 'the cornerstone of the arch of the constitution,' she is at once redundant and misplaced.

Perhaps she would feel more at home as the keystone of the arch of the constitution . or even as the cornerstone of the edifice of state. In either case, I feel sure that all her subjects would agree that the dear girl is— in public school slang—a real brick. Andrew Sannholm 6 Crown Circus, Dowanhill, Glasgow