Sir, In Birmingham (England) over the Christmas, it was possible to divine (not that) a sprat being thrown to catch a mackerel. Solemnly, stridently, stuffily the British Press decreed Camilla shall not be Queen the politicians won't, buy it the public won't wear it
At the same time, seepage was left for fair play and common sense. Camilla was time honoured carat consort material Diana was the shallow showgirl stuff of soap opera. There was behind the Throne than the King. Camilla would be right behind him, beside him, in a way that Mrs Simpson never could be to Edward VIII, a former ill starred, love crossed Prince of Wales. Wally had not the breeding no pedigree there are horses for courses and so on.
A morganatic marriage could benefit the Commonwealth. With Australia becoming a republic, the time would be right to rotate the Head of the Commonwealth, as in the EU. This would leave Ireland off its disabling historic hook of deferring to the Crown, especially since Britain's pathetically imperious and, for all practical purposes, unilateral action in expelling Ireland from the Commonwealth in 1948 was invalid.
This was a cheek, considering (a) the contribution which Irish brawn, brain a and bravery made to building it and (b) the crucial input of Desmond FitgGerald, Patrick McGilligan and their brilliant, emergent, evolutionary diplomatic External Relations staffs made to transforming the medieval British Empire into a caring friendly Commonwealth of Nations that now embraces evolutional South Africa.
Every dog has its day, they say, but the achievements of the Statute of Westminster, for party political purposes, are irretrievably underestimated. Professor Dan Binchy too, before scholarship suffocated him, wrote a penetrative paper on Royal Titles (HRH and all that) in 1929 for the Imperial Conference. It never saw the light of day.
Anyway, in spite of Mr Desmond Hanafin's rather rude remarks in John Bowman's Questions and Answers RTE programme, snidely comparing Camilla to one of the ugly sisters in the Cinderella fairy story, many discerning people seem to feel that she is a fine person who would make a suitable consort. Watch the media sway when that day dawns. Watch Ireland claim its Commonwealth title and heritage. That'll be the day. Yours, etc., Cedarmount Road, Mount Merrion,
Co Dublin.