Dallying Duchess Deserves Privacy

Re “Fit to Be Crowned” (Aug. 27): Nowhere in Jeff Kaye’s article did he write that that there was anything morally wrong with the Sun publishing the topless pictures of the Duchess of York. Since I assume she did not pose for these pictures or cooperate in any way with the photographer, I see this as a gross invasion of her privacy.

Kaye said that the queen herself gave permission for this invasion of privacy in 1969 by allowing a documentary to be made about herself and her family. I watched this documentary more than 20 years ago. This was pretty tame stuff. It merely showed that they were human beings. It was not to give anyone with a tape recorder or a telephoto lens permission to spy on them.

As for the private behavior of the Duchess of York and Princess of Wales putting the survival of the monarchy in danger, I doubt it. What sets the British monarchy apart from King Mswati III of Swaziland or King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand or any of the monarchies mentioned in the article (or for that matter the Romanovs or the Hapsburgs) is its durability.

Since the time of Cedric of Wessex, who founded the British monarchy in 500 A.D., there have been many scandals more significant than the pictures of the Duchess of York or the phone conversation of the Princess of Wales.

SUSAN BREYER

Los Angeles