• God save the Queen
Sir: Robert Hardman (‘The Queen’s manifesto’, 22 October) is right to say that we should respect the Queen for more than longevity and never putting a foot wrong. One of her great strengths is that she is so willing to take advice from those placed (or elected) to give it. There are times when she has been known to ask ‘What should the Queen do?’, much as a parent has to ask what line to take towards a child.
The Queen has invariably agreed to do as bidden by her government, for example in entertaining figures like President Ceausescu of Romania in 1978. He was a far from easy guest, digging up the floorboards at the Palace in quest of electronic bugs, yet he was extended the traditional hospitality by the monarch. She cannot be blamed for inviting him. The person to blame is David Owen, the then foreign secretary.
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