Copyright smh
I’ve never been a fan of the British royal family, but it strikes me that if your mother is a queen then you are, ipso facto, a prince, and no palace announcement can ever change that. Charles is wielding the modern equivalent of a guillotine – “you’re too much trouble so off with your, er, title”. But it seems more like “psst, Andrew, if you do this for us, we’ll look after you”. Of course, all would be quickly forgotten if the firm’s PR department could come up with another royal wedding toot sweet. Aren’t there any second cousins that could be hurriedly marched to the Westminster Cathedral altar? Even better if one of them is a commoner – that scores more points with the flag-wavers waiting outside in the rain. Thank heaven Princess Anne is due down under – a royal visit in time to quieten any republican rumblings. Honestly, you couldn’t make this stuff up, unless it was all just fiction to begin with. Patrick McGrath, Potts Point Andrew, formerly known as prince, reminds me of a character in Monty Python’s Life of Brian. “He is not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy.” If Andrew is looking for a job I believe the Principality of Hutt River Province in Western Australia may still be vacant since Prince Leonard died. Gavin Williamson, Wheeler Heights So Andrew’s association with Epstein has been so damning that he has been stripped of his title and evicted from his house. It’s common knowledge that US President Donald Trump was also closely involved with Epstein. Release the files. Shona Kirchen, Kiama It will be a sad day indeed when the Australian Design Centre has to close (“Centre latest casualty of arts funding crunch”, October 31). The centre has been running since 1964 and is staffed by an executive board of volunteers. It has been responsible for fostering creativity in thousands of artists and yet it has failed to secure funding of a meagre $350,000 to remain viable. This seems extremely unfair, especially when considering the billions of dollars spent elsewhere, like building (and rebuilding) stadiums. There are five or six major (and many minor) stadiums just in Sydney. On the occasions these stadiums are used, they are often sparsely attended, with many sports fans choosing to stay at home and watch the TV. Is it just me or does this seem like an imbalance? Maybe the funding squeeze in NSW should be directed elsewhere. Judith Rostron, Killarney Heights We all know Albo is a proud and ardent footy supporter. Sadly, the same cannot be said of the support given to the arts by Labor. The latest casualty to funding cuts is the 60-year-old Australian Design Centre. I have two questions: why did they lose $200,000 in annual federal funding in January, and why was their four-year state operational funding of $300,000 a year pulled in April? Surely the state and federal Labor governments aren’t working together to close them down. Incidentally, the ADC nurtures the talents of emerging young creatives and designers – and most of them are women. Come on, give them a fair go. Deborah Smith, Moss Vale
