Letter: In Brief

Sir: Philip Hensher is mistaken in believing that it was democracy that defeated King Charles I ("Putting the Queen in her place", 11 May). Cromwell packed parliament with his family and cronies, but when it opposed him he had no hesitation in shutting it down, which is hardly democratic. The Van Dyck picture of Charles I and his family in the background of Andrew Festing's portrait of the Queen shows the King's eldest son looking directly at the viewer. He is the future Charles II, whose Restoration Settlement laid the foundation of our constitutional monarchy.

DONALD FOREMAN

The Constitutional Monarchy Association

London E4