I totally agree with Prince Charles's recent comments. The "I want it all and I want it now, I deserve it, I could be dead tomorrow" phenomenon is something I first observed during Mrs Thatcher's reign. Don't let them gag you, sir. Ronald Sewell, Penrith

Charle's memo reveals a lot about his own intellectual pretensions, which perhaps are not matched by his natural ability and education. An innocuous request for promotion triggers a pompous and largely irrelevant essay on society and the education system. I think Charles tries too hard to be clever and, as a result, falls flat on his face sometimes (like this time). Robert Fergusson, London

Prince Charles is a little out of touch - but only in that the educational pendulum has swung almost off the scale and we now have child-led education. People demand a qualification for almost every piece of training and we are hurtling towards a society where everyone is given a degree. Consequently it is almost impossible to differentiate between applicants on the basis of qualifications. Child led education means that children never fail and so they do believe that they can all do anything - until they are found to be incompetent and then their poor employer has to provide endless training to try to make them fit for the job they claimed they could do! Many years ago a former colleague of mine stated that we were defeating agism, sexism and racism. Only abilityism was left. I think we're almost over this final hurdle. Name and address withheld

Charles has demonstrated perfectly how he lacks the natural abilities required to be a head of state in the 21st century. Helen, London

Sir, Prince Charles hits the nail on the head with his comments concerning the attitude of modern society and the education system. Those who bury their collective heads in the sand to avoid teaching our children about failures are the ones who are out of touch. While we must stimulate our young people to learn and encourage them to strive for success and to punch above their weight, failure has been and always will be part of life. We must teach our students to accept failures and learn from them. Common sense and honesty are missing from today’s educational system. I am glad to see the Prince of Wales still holds these "old-fashioned" values. I would rather have children learn from Prince Charles instead of short-sighted reactionaries such as Charles Clarke. C B J James, Toronto

As one of the 60 million dummies who voted for Bush, I find it very instructional to note that idiocy is not an exclusive trait of those of us on this side of the pond. A country which spends a great deal of its public treasure on the dysfunctional nitwits you call the royal family gives a whole new meaning to word stupidty. Philip Brown, Sarasota, Florida

Although I would suggest that a debate could be held upon a "child-centred system which admits no failure", I question whether he is in a position to take part. It reminded me very much of the "divine right of kings", and he seems to suggest that the social order of the past, where each kept and knew their place, was preferable. This would suggest that he is happy to be at the top of the social order (by birth?) and indeed this confers onto him infinite wisdom and intellect (although unable to show it in his own education) which he freely gives us insight into. But we only hear these thoughts because of who he is, so once again the establishment ensure that we have the benefit of his musings. But the social order is also to their advantage! Of course, the children of the ruling classes, will always aspire and achieve as you cannot "contradict the lessons of history" that prove "humanity can be genetically and socially engineered" as long as the right people are chosen which, of course, is through birth. Kevin Scarry, Dinnington

Prince Charles is right - is key point is "without putting in the necessary work or having the natural ability" - too many people (including the young)do not appreciate or are not prepared to carry out the sheer volume of hard work it takes to succeed in anything. Phil Hawtin, Kings Lynn

Prince Charles' comments illustrate perfectly how unqualified a man born as heir to the throne and with very limited academic ability is to comment on the social mobility that derives from education. Laurent White, London

Far from being out of touch, the Prince of Wales has his finger on the pulse of modern society. His position allows him to take a long-term view of the nation. The monarchy embodies cutural continuity and the Prince is sensitive to change. His concern for our present direction is therefore welcome. Well-meaning but misguided egalitarianism has been utterly corosive and while the Prince's principles may seem old-fashioned, that doesn't make them untimely. Nonetheless, it is hardly surprising that conservative views (with a small 'c') should be sneered at by those, like Charles Clark, who espouse the politics of envy. Besides, the Prince did not attempt to "enter the debate", as Clark alleges, but in despair at the ghastly egotism of a member of his staff, sent a personal memo to a member of his household. I wouldn't swap fifteen Clarks for the Prince of Wales. And I'm only 25. Damian Nixon, London