IT makes me a little sad to see repugnant letters of anti-monarch content as printed by you on April 20 from a woman in The Groves, York.

I gave nearly seven years of my life (the desert, Italy etc) to help preserve our present way of life under a democratic monarchy which this woman presently enjoys.

The best thing she can do is to hop it pretty quick to one of these countries with a president - not always democratically elected to boot - and see how she enjoys life there. I do not think she would be happy for very long.

No family, whether royal or otherwise, can be immune from the usual ups and downs of life in the 21st century, with divorces mounting by the week and so on.

What is wrong with a member of the Royal Family being divorced? They can make a mistake the same as anyone else.

I do not deny this woman the right to advertise her feelings, and that in itself is something she would be denied in many countries, but her letter could not have been more inappropriate and in bad taste at the present time.

Andrew Micklethwaite,

York Road,

Tollerton.

Updated: 09:56 Wednesday, April 26, 2006