Thank goodness William was born first

THANK goodness for the country that Prince William was born before his brother and is the future heir.

William is intelligent, thoughtful, caring and dutiful. Harry is impetuous, disloyal, egocentric, easily led and seems unable to see what the likely end result of his actions will be.

He lacks the ability of his brother, father and paternal grandparents to put his country before all other issues.

They bring people and cultures together in a way that is envied throughout the world and assists in building bridges and trade.

While there are still areas that need improvement and mistakes made, under Elizabeth’s stewardship the Royal Family have reformed massively and, regardless of what some would say, the changes have been enthusiastically embraced by most within the family.

While being Royal clearly comes with its privileges, it is not a vocation that many would be capable of carrying out, or prepared to perform.

It is a 24-hour, 365-day-a-year role as, even in the privacy of their homes, staff will be coming into contact with them and, undoubtedly, forming opinions which, in this disloyal day and age, could be leaked.

Knowing that every action you carry out and every word you utter will be forensically scrutinised by some seeking to find fault is way more than most people would be prepared to tolerate, regardless of those privileges. Harry seems never to have understood this.

Fortunately the future heirs to the throne demonstrate all the right qualities to ensure a smooth transition and the country will be safe in their hands.

Stuart Husbands Hemyock, Devon