Letter: Uniform pride

Terry Duncan (Letters, 4 July) writes that Prince Edward should be ashamed of himself for wearing a uniform of the "Senior Service" at the recent wedding of Prince Albert of Monaco.

He also writes that he is offending this nation by turning out in '"fancy dress". Can I firstly correct Mr Duncan in his calling Edward the Earl of Essex? He is, in fact, the Earl of Wessex.

Secondly, His Royal Highness was not even wearing a uniform of the armed forces, let alone one of our Senior Service (the Royal Navy). Prince Edward was wearing the uniform of Commodore of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) - the service which, although thoroughly professional, dedicated and valued by the Royal Navy (whose warships depend on the RFA's ability to re-fuel and replenish them wherever in the world they are deployed) are fiercely civilian and not actually part of the armed forces.

As for Mr Duncan's comment regarding the wearing of medals that HRH did not earn, Edward was in fact wearing four medals -two of which were Jubilee Medals awarded by the Queen and none of which were military campaign medals.

Edward was not, as Mr Duncan would have it, offending our nation and troops but honouring the Royal Fleet Auxiliary by wearing their uniform; an organisation that does so much to help maintain our country's ability to project maritime force anywhere on the globe. and yet is so little known by the Great British public.

Andrew Bowie

Bankhead Road

Arbroath, Angus