Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
World
Sophie Collins & Kristy Dawson

Five year old boy receives one of the final letters sent by the Queen on the day of her death

A five-year-old boy was reportedly one of the last people in the UK to receive a letter from the Queen before her passing on September 8, 2022.

Young James McConnell received the letter from the queen after he wrote to Her Majesty during a trip with his family to London to see the Platinum Jubilee.

He received a response from the Queen on September 9, just one day after her death at her Balmoral Estate in Scotland.

READ MORE: Queen funeral viewers sob as Princes William and Harry get emotional during coffin procession

In the letter, the five-year-old wrote: "Dear Queen Happy 70th Platinum Jubilee. Thank you from James."

His dad, Graeme McConnell, was shocked when James received a card from Buckingham Palace on Friday, Chronicle Live reports.

The date on the letter was September 8 - the day the Queen lost her life, and it contained a picture of the Queen and a message to the young boy alongside it.

It read: "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 rung 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 gone 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."

James travelled to London to see the Platinum Jubilee celebrations with Graeme, his mum Ellen, 31, who is a teacher, his brother Edward, two, and his grandparents.

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 practicing 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.

READ NEXT :

Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.