THANK you for your article, Royalty or republic, because it enables many republic-minded people to have their views expressed, and to show the sheer hypocrisy of the monarchy argument that somehow they protect our democracy.

What utter rubbish. Yes, you get rotten MPs but at least we get the chance to kick them out via a ballot box every five years.

Mr Kett, in your article, found comfort in the fact that the Prime Minister meets the Queen each week. I would find greater comfort if the royal family met the ballot box now and again, so I and many others could vote them out.

Would you vote for Princess Fergie – selling access to the royal family for thousands of pounds to clear her debts and to maintain a royal lifestyle, paid for in part by us the taxpayer?

Or HRH The Duke of York and his friends? Not to mention his abuse of the taxpayers’ money on his golfing trips via the royal helicopter. Funded again by the taxpayer.

Then we have the younger princes and princesses, either wearing (fancy dress) Nazi uniforms or visiting the Isle of Wight for a stag weekend courtesy of the Royal Air Force, funded by the taxpayer.

Or stumbling drunk out of London nightclubs protected by their bodyguards – again, funded by you and me.

The list goes on and on and we’re supposed to believe Tim Palmer, the High Sheriff of Dorset when he says in your article: “The monarchy has proved itself to be an extremely useful democratic form”. Utter rubbish.

True democracy is via the ballot box, not by birth into one of the richest families in the world, who still cost us £7.9million each year.

Still, we have the royal wedding to look forward. (But don’t mention who is really paying for it.) Enjoy the day. You’re paying for it!

JOHN TAYLOR, Beamish Road, Canford Heath