LETTER : Royal riches

THERE is no reason why the Crown should not reflect a growing sensitivity towards the historic roles of Wales, Ireland and Scotland ("Kings' ransom", Review, 7 January). The Queen descends from the ancient kings of Scotland and Ireland, and the sovereign princes of Wales, as well as from the Saxon kings of England. The Crown Estate, which can be traced to their days, now yields pounds 85m a year to the Treasury in return for a Civil List worth less than a tenth of that sum: this injustice is often ignored in calculating the cost of our monarchy.

Jennifer Miller

London SW15