SIR – Although a republican, I shall miss the Duke of Edinburgh. He was an example to the rest of us and an impossible act to follow.
The Queen deserves our sympathy for her loss, and gratitude for her unique double act with the Duke on the world stage for nearly 70 years.
Dominic Shelmerdine
SIR – How very sad that the Duke of Edinburgh should have died so close to his 100th birthday.
Having twice been president of the MCC, it would have been so nice if he had managed just one more single to get to a very well-deserved ton.
Kim Potter
15 March 2021 • 12:02am
A well-wisher lays a bunch of flowers to honour Sarah Everard before the vigil at Clapham Common on Saturday night
Credit: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP
SIR – Two wrongs do not make a right. The vigil for Sarah Everard at Clapham Common should not have taken place when Covid-19 is still rampant. However, the police response, which included tackling women to the ground and physically overpowering them, was equally wrong. The police were doing exactly what the women were protesting against.
Mick Ferrie
Mawnan Smith, Cornwall
SIR – The policing at Clapham Common is receiving much criticism. However, in our modern, liberal society you get the type of policing the public and politicians demand.
Don’t let Christmas tree needles go to waste
Precious pines: a woman in Brighton carries her tree to a recycling centre
Credit: simon dack/alamy
SIR – Felicity Cloake says we should eat our Christmas trees rather than throwing them away.
I would add that pine-needle culinary delights are best enjoyed while soaking extremities in a needle-infused footbath.
Peter Saunders
SIR – On the question of when to take festive decorations down (Letters, December 30), many years ago, when my three sons were fairly young, we visited my house-proud mother-in-law on Boxing Day.
Shortly after we had finished our turkey lunch, she took the lights and decorations off the artificial tree, and proceeded to fold it up and put it away, saying: “That’s Christmas over, then.”