Stn,—From time to time the monarchy is embarrassed by the
activities of its supporters; thus, Mr. Malcolm Muggeridge and Lord Altrincham are deluged with obscene letters, Sir Oswald Mosley decorates his head- quarters with the Queen's portrait, some Empire Loyalist or the other makes a fool of herself, and, most recently, a man is victimised by his employers and insulted by a judge because he has dared to suggest that the country should become a republic.
All in all, a large number of people are ready to make fools of themselves over the monarchy. Christo- pher Hollis claims (Spectator, September 12) that the Monarchy is a sound safeguard against dictatorship; Yet he knows quite well that the Fascist regime in Italy existed side by side with a monarchy.
Apropos of Mr. Muggeridge, Henry Fairlie wrote (Spectator, November 8, 1957): The monarchy does not exist for metropolitan intellectuals; it exists for millions of ordinary people who might give up the struggle for existence altogether, and who would cer- tainly be less happy, if they could not live their lives, not just through the monarchy, but through the Person of the monarch herself' As much could be said for drink; and in any case, only sick people want someone else to do their living for them.
What is the monarchy for? On one hand it is venerated from a distance, on the other it is spied on through a keyhole; both sorts of experience—the scarlet tunics and the family row—provide those little 'tummy-thrills' which arc in themselves innocent, but which are always associated with something more sinister.
The monarchy is a screen behind which hide those people who will not accept the modern world and our place in it; people who go on pretending that Britain rules the seas, and who are not offended by a National Anthem that is also a battle hymn. For this reason the monarchy has become a rallying place for moral decadents and political myopes.
'Let's pretend' is always a popular game—Mr. Macmillan's jingoist intervention in Jordan has made him very popular indeed. But it is also dangerous.— Yours faithfully,
EDWARD BOND
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