A FRACTURED FAIRY TALE

"Behind Diana's electric blue eyes lies the brain of a woman of the '90s. She has earned the title and benefits of her union with the throne." MARCIA A. BOWLIN Dodge City, Kansas

DIANA, NOT CHARLES, IS THE PERSONA OF international interest and attention in this generation of the House of Windsor [WORLD, March 11]. She is Britain's equivalent of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: an energetic, beautiful woman of overwhelming charm and intelligence whose charisma has enhanced the quality of royal life. She is the one who will continue to fascinate the press. DAVID KEITH JOHNSTON Philadelphia

AS AN ENGLISHMAN IN AMERICA, I FIND that the divorce of Diana and Charles seems distant, yet oddly personal. The media, however, are no more balanced here in the U.S. than in my native land. Diana is seen as the victim, Charles as the villain. You write that Charles vigorously supports "inner-city projects, helping ethnic minorities, assisting new small businesses," but he's generally viewed as a cold, clumsy fuddy-duddy. Both Charles and Diana knowingly entered into an ill-matched marriage. Both were unfaithful. Both made grave errors of judgment. The blame should be equal. But despite Charles' strong sense of duty and determination to make a difference, Diana gets the more sympathetic coverage. In this age of image, being photogenic is better than being quietly philanthropic. STEPHEN WHITLOCK Chicago Via E-mail

WHAT THE ROYAL FAMILY HAS DONE IS use Princess Diana the way a horse breeder uses a broodmare. Now that she has provided what was wanted, Diana can be dispensed with. The British government and people should make Princess Diana Queen and throw Elizabeth II and Charles out. NELL E. ROBINSON Lexington, Kentucky

IT SEEMS ODDLY CHAUVINISTIC THAT IN your discussion of the tyranny of the royal family only Diana is portrayed as a victim. What about Charles? I was living in England at the time of the royal engagement and wedding and witnessed the intense pressure put on Charles to find and marry a "simple, virginal girl." It is a modern-day tragedy that Charles was pushed into a loveless marriage by his family. Just because Diana is glamorous shouldn't preclude her being subjected to the same public scrutiny and criticism Charles has endured. KATHLEEN ROGERS-VENEMA La Canada--Flintridge, California

DIANA MADE A CONSCIOUS, INFORMED decision to join the royal circus. She knew exactly what she was getting into. If the fairy tale didn't turn out the way she wanted it to, that's just too bad. Get over it, people. KEN DOMENECH Atlanta Via E-mail

THIS TIME, THE PRINCESS KISSED A Prince, and he turned into a frog. NAIDA GIPSON Tacoma, Washington

I AM A MONARCHIST, AND I THINK THE DIvorce is a shameful move by both parties. It will create even more problems in the long run because Diana is the mother of the future King, and the meddling of Queen Elizabeth in the upbringing of the children could prove problematic. I would love to see the couple back together--and, above all, see them living their own private life, without the stupid, life-wrecking interference of the press. SAEB ABOUSAADA Manchester, England Via E-mail

I FULLY AGREE WITH AMERICAN CULTURal critic Camille Paglia that this is a "terrible tragedy," especially for the two young sons, who for years to come will have to deal with the aftermath under intense private and public scrutiny. Diana has shown a great deal of growth and maturity. Regardless of what her official title is, she will always be a true princess in the world's eyes because of her compassion, honesty and resiliency. As for the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles, I wonder how sturdy a foundation their relationship can have, considering that it has been built on the ashes of two marriages. The royal family has weathered worse disasters than this, and I hope it survives through the next century. With Diana's fresh blood infused in the line, I have no doubt that it will. LEON A. HELGUERA Nashville, Tennessee Via E-mail

THE BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY IS AN OUTdated anachronism that survives only at the nostalgic whim of ordinary Britons. Royalty costs the British taxpayer extraordinary amounts of money, while members of the royal family do little but perform simple functions like dedicating new buildings and memorials. Surely this could be done by a democratically elected President much more efficiently and cost-effectively. JOSHUA HOGAN Nenagh, Ireland

IN A WEEK OF TERRORIST VIOLENCE IN the Middle East, the downing of two American aircraft by Cuba and continuing turmoil over the Republican nomination for President, you chose to run a cover on that never-ending soap opera known as Charles and Diana. This story should long ago have been relegated to the gossip columns to be read by people with nothing better to do. LARRY WANGER London, Ontario

WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE I.R.A.

WE ARE APPALLED AT THE ENDING OF THE cease-fire by the I.R.A. [WORLD, March 11]. Violence cannot be justified. It is morally wrong and politically counterproductive. Violence destroys the atmosphere of trust that is necessary to create a climate in which negotiation, compromise and reconciliation can be achieved. There are two ways we can move from the present position: either we can escalate the killing by bombast and bombs, or we can discuss the problem together, seeking an agreed upon compromise. NOEL P. WEATHERHEAD, Secretary Tullamore Interfaith Group Tullamore, Ireland

ONE REASON FOR THE DECLINE IN THE influence of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland is the craven unwillingness of the church hierarchy to denounce and excommunicate members of the I.R.A. and its supporters. If the hottest spots in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crisis maintain their neutrality, then Hades must be crawling with Irish bishops. JOHN A. BROGAN III Hamburg, Germany

DEFINING A POLICY FOR CUBA

I WAS THE PILOT SHOWN IN THE PHOTOgraph of a Brothers to the Rescue plane that accompanied your article on the aftermath of the Cuban shoot-down of civilian aircraft [WORLD, March 11]. That American citizens were murdered in international airspace is a fact. Castro claims the U.S. would never tolerate intrusions into its airspace, but here you don't have to fly over Washington to distribute leaflets. You can stand on a corner and freely hand them out. STEPHEN L. WALTON Hollywood, Florida

THE HELMS-BURTON ACT, IMPOSING EVEN harsher trade sanctions on Cuba, is draconian legislation. In proposing it, Senator Jesse Helms self-righteously stated that Canadians should be ashamed of themselves for cooperating with the Castro regime. Let's set the record straight. Canada entered the fight against tyranny in World Wars I and II long before the U.S. did. As for aiding and abetting tyranny, the U.S.--not Canada--has supported such despots as Batista in Cuba, Papa Doc in Haiti, Somoza in Nicaragua and Pinochet in Chile, plus others elsewhere around the globe. The list goes on and on. Enough hypocrisy. DAVID KOS Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

DROPPING LEAFLETS ON THE CAPITAL OF another nation while violating its airspace and inciting people to rebel against a government on repeated occasions are harsh provocations. Any self-respecting country would be expected to respond to this kind of repeated attack. Castro's reaction was fair. He tolerated the insult more than a dozen times. The Cuban-American activists got the treatment they asked for. ENRIQUE FARIAS Mexico City

I SPENT ALMOST 50 YEARS IN CUBA AND have often returned there on family business. I can say that the economic depression there has much less to do with the U.S. embargo than with Castro's lining his pockets. He has not, however, been able to destroy the spirit of the Cuban people or stop efforts from abroad to attain freedom for them. I hope to see the end of Castro's regime. I will not predict the result; history will speak for itself. Unfortunately, too many lives have already paid the price for Castro's rule. ASTERIA PENA Coconut Creek, Florida

HELMS-BURTON IS A SMOKE SCREEN TO deflect the attention of the public away from the inadequacies of U.S. foreign policy regarding Cuba. Is the American government really so concerned about the morality of doing business with what it calls an oppressive dictatorship? The issue here is not morality. It is that the American government, through four decades of unsuccessful economic sabotage geared toward bringing down a system of government it deems inappropriate, has succeeded only in alienating itself from the trade equation. PETER DOZZI Sudbury, Ontario

IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT...

IN HER COLUMN NOTING THAT A MAN won the Pillsbury Bake-Off prize for the first time [NOTEBOOK, March 11], Margaret Carlson referred in a scabrously derogatory manner to men's assumed ineptitude in things domestic, notably cooking. Had a male commentator reported with the same dismissive derision that a woman was incompetent at checking the oil in her car, he would be decried, vilified, crucified and possibly emulsified for making such a sexist remark. I guess women do not like men in the kitchen any more than men like women in the boardroom. FRANK J. BRADLEY Dallas

GAYS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

KUDOS FOR YOUR STORY ON THE DOCUmentary The Celluloid Closet and your discussion of homosexual themes in film [CINEMA, March 11]. It was an exceptional piece on one of the most misunderstood subjects of our time. Fortunately for the men and women in the gay and lesbian community, things in Hollywood and the rest of the world are starting to turn around--not quickly, but at least now the subject of homosexuality can be discussed openly and, at times, without fear. My generation may not live to see the day when sexual orientation is a nonissue, but then again most of my generation never expected to see the end of the cold war or the fall of the Berlin Wall. DON NOLAN-PROXMIRE Alexandria, Virginia

MOVIES AND TV HAVE FINALLY DISCOVered that gays and lesbians are more than stereotypes and punch lines--although there is progress yet to be made. It's just proof that Pat Buchanan and his extremist cronies are profoundly out of touch with mainstream America. The world is changing, and it's leaving Buchanan, Limbaugh and the rest of the radical right behind in the past. SCOTT MILLER St. Louis, Missouri