A former member of the Women’s Royal Naval Service was among the first people to receive the new birthday cards from King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, in celebration of her 100th birthday.
Ruth Park-Pearson, from Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, turned 100 on Friday (21 October) and was delighted when a card from the King and Queen Consort arrived the next day.
The greeting in the card read: “My wife and I are so pleased to know that you celebrated your one hundredth birthday on 21 October 2022.
“This brings our warmest congratulations and heartfelt good wishes on such a special occasion.”
The card features and image, which was taken in 2018, of the King and Queen Consort smiling.
The tradition of sending royal messages to mark significant birthdays and anniversaries dates back to 1917 during the reign of George V, when those celebrating their 100th birthday or 60th wedding anniversary were sent a telegram of good wishes from the king.
Thousands of birthday and wedding anniversary cards are sent from Buckingham Palace every year to those celebrating their 100th and 105th birthday and every year thereafter.
They are also sent to those celebrating their 60th, 65th, 70th wedding anniversaries and every year thereafter.
During Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign, approximately 1.3 million cards were sent to mark birthdays and anniversaries across the UK, the Realms and the Overseas Territories.
Following the Queen’s death on 8 September, her image on the front of the card has been replaced with King Charles and Camilla.
“It’s lovely because it’s got a lovely gold cord through it with a tassel on the end,” Park-Pearson said.
Park-Pearson was born in Glasgow and served as a Wren, a member of the Women’s Royal Naval Service, during the Second World War.
“I was serving under her father if you think about it,” she explained.
“You don’t think about it at the time, it’s not until later you realise just sort of how old you are suddenly. You think my goodness me; I remember the old King. The Queen Mother was a very elegant lady.”
Park-Pearson has six children, 13 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren, and celebrated her birthday surrounded by family.
“Everybody seems to have just gelled all together, you know, the cousins haven’t seen each other for years but they all just gelled nicely together,” she said.
“Even the young great-grandchildren were happy to be with one another. So it was a really happy day.”
Additional reporting by PA
