A five-year-old boy received one of the last letters ever to be sent out by the Queen, a day after she died. Young James McConnell, from Birtley in Gateshead, wrote a letter to the Queen while on holiday with his family to London during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations earlier this year.
In the letter, the lad wrote: ''Dear Queen, Happy 70th Platinum Jubilee. Thank you from James.'' His father, Graeme McConnell was shocked when James received a response to his letter from Buckingham Palace on Friday, the day after her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II passed away.
The card which contained a picture of the Queen and a message inside, was dated September 8 - the day the Queen died. The message said: "I send you my grateful thanks for your kind message on the occasion of the Seventieth Anniversary of my Accession to the Throne, Elizabeth R, 2022".
Graeme, who received the card on his 33rd birthday, said: "I was just getting ready to go out, and bells were being rang for the Queen, when the letter came through the door. It was quite emotional. It was really poignant. James loves anything to do with the Queen. He understands that the Queen has died and she has went to live in heaven.
"It must have been one of the last ones ER sent. It will have been a lady-in-waiting who sent it out. But James thinks that she sat and did that before she died. I don't want to burst that bubble for him.
"He was beaming and proud. I think we'll get it framed for him so he can always keep it. James added: "It was good. It was a special card. It was sent on her last day. She's gone to heaven."
The Queen was on the throne for more than 70 years and is Britain's longest-reigning monarch. A special extended bank holiday was held in June so people throughout the UK could come together to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.
James travelled to London to see the celebrations with Graeme, his mum Ellen, 31, who is a teacher, his brother Edward, two, and his grandparents. During their stay in the capital, they saw Trooping the Colour.
Graeme, who works in social care, said: "We went down as I thought this will be the last opportunity to see the Queen. James wrote the letter in the hotel room." He said that they were devastated to learn on Thursday that the Queen had passed away at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Graeme believes that she hung on so she could appoint Liz Truss as the new Prime Minister.
The dad-of-two said: "I think she will have hung on for that to make sure she could discharge her duty properly. While it was very sad for the Royal Family and the nation and the world I think maybe she was ready for it.
"We all got a bit upset. We're all practising Catholics so we do all believe in heaven. James will talk openly about the Queen living in heaven with Prince Philip now.'' Graeme is hoping to travel back to London with his family to see the coronation of King Charles III.
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