SIR - Am I alone in having more than a twinge of sympathy for Prince Andrew as he is criticised on all sides for the out of court settlement reached with his accuser.

Few if any of his self-righteous critics will have served in the armed forces and certainly none will have voluntarily acted as a decoy to deflect incoming Argentinean Exocets aimed at the British flag ship HMS Hermes

The Falklands war ended before Post Traumatic Stress Disorder had been recognised so he was easy prey for a pair of scheming opportunists like Ghislaine Maxwell and Geoffrey Epstein. By taking advantage their offer of friendship, he most likely saw it as an escape from the empty life of a minor royal as well as suppressing the demons that plague the minds of those who have put their lives at risk for the sake of Queen and country.

Sadly, I have yet to see a single mention of this in the torrent of unworthy condemnation of someone who in other circumstances would be rightly called a war hero.

Brian Holmans, Langley Road, Bingley