TH - well said, I do agree. I have no problems with what you say none at all. The basis of this thread was that the armed forces owe allegiance to HMTQ and no one else. That is neither true nor realistic. We tended to lose the thread some what and that was a mistake. No one in the world should ever question the professionalism (by and large) of any member of the British armed services or indeed the comittment to do the job in hand. But please let us have no illusion about to whom you are responsible. We, the electorate, of which you are also included, decide who is to run our State for the next Parliamentary period. We do not ( and never have had the chance) to elect the Windsors to be our Head of State. Were such an election to ever take place (God forbid) then I should certainly vote to retain our monarchy with QEII at the head but it would be a very much slimmed down monarchy with no constitutional powers at all.