Occasional verse | 28 May 2015

In Competition No. 2899 you were invited to write a poem commemorating the birth of Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.

The impetus for this comp was Carol Ann Duffy’s failure to deliver the goods. This made some people very cross, but as the official website of the British Monarchy makes clear, modern laureates are under no obligation on this front: ‘It is up to the individual poet to decide whether or not to produce poetry for national occasions or royal events such as weddings and funerals.’ Some may even argue that it was a wise decision on Duffy’s part; after all, previous laureates have produced royal-inspired verses that might have been better left unwritten.

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In any case, you stepped into the breach with gusto. I was moved and impressed by the poems submitted by a group of seven- to eight-year-olds, which put some of the adult entrants to shame.