Letter: There is no queen of England, so show respect

From Ian Olson, Aberdeen, UK

Graham Lawton would have difficulty addressing the “queen of England” (16 December 2017, p 31). The post has been vacant for over 300 years.

An inclination of the head is not sycophancy: it shows acceptance and acknowledgement of the titular head of the country, as agreed by Parliament. This may not always be the case. It is very doubtful, for example, that Camilla Windsor will be so accepted through marriage to Prince Charles. More dramatically, monarchs have been deposed, exiled or even executed.

The editor writes:

• Monarchs have indeed been deposed, exiled or executed, but that does not disprove the idea that the current queen is the beneficiary of prestige bias rather than earned dominance.