Yes, we were raised on all those WW2 stories - The Cruel Sea, The Dambusters, Reach for the Sky, but we all know war is a filthy, cruel business and there aren't many winners. I often wonder what my generation and the succeeding one would do in similar circumstances? I like to think we'd have also stepped up to the plate if our survival was on the line, thankfully we've never been tested. The treatment of the shell-shocked servicemen in the Great War was appalling and shocking, but things have moved on and so much more is known about the mental effects that conflicts can have on people now. Try as I might I struggle with a lot of what I've seen and read about Meghan and Harry's interview, and what has been obvious is the differences between the views of people in the U.S. generally sympathetic and people here, more sceptical. For instance, I just couldn't get my head around Meghan saying she hadn't realised she'd have to curtsey to the Queen! Whether you agree with that or not - Harry has lived his whole life with these behaviours and customs - are we supposed to believe he wouldn't have told her all about the pecking order, and put her straight about what to do etc.? Anyway, at the end of the day the Royal family are no different to the rest of us, allowing for wealth and privilege, most families are dysfunctional at times - we're all human, we fall out, we make up, and so do they.The Queen has always been guided by the attitudes of that previous generation - where you would never have discussed emotions - they just got on with things, that is possibly why it came as such a shock to Meghan, coming from her American background, 'two countries separated by a common language'.
Vanessa Smith ● 2057d