A resident was particularly happy this week, after receiving a letter stamped with the seal of Buckingham Palace itself.
Yes, really. One of our wonderful residents has received a reply from the Royal Household, sent on behalf of His Majesty The King, and we are absolutely beside ourselves.
It all started with a poem. Back in April 2002, our resident sat down and wrote a beautiful tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, following her passing. It’s tender, it’s heartfelt, and it captures a moment in our national history that so many of her generation felt deeply. The poem has been quietly treasured for over twenty years, until one of our brilliant team members decided it deserved to be seen by someone rather important.
So she sent it to Buckingham Palace.
And Buckingham Palace wrote back.
The letter, sent by the Head of Royal Correspondence on behalf of His Majesty, reads:
“The King has asked me to thank you for your thoughtful letter, in which you so kindly enclosed a poem by Mrs A.G, a resident at Park View Care Home. His Majesty greatly appreciates that you should have taken the trouble to write to him as you did. I can tell you that The King was immensely touched by your poignant verse, in tribute to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and His Majesty was heartened to learn of her long-standing affection for The Royal Family.”
The King immensely touched. By one of our residents. Honestly, we can’t quite believe it either.
Here is the poem in full, and we think you’ll agree, it’s rather wonderful:
The Queen Mother
Let the death bells toll
A lament, the piper play
A grand old lady
The Queen Mother,
Has sadly passed away.
A bright indomitable spirit
Lived a life so full of zest
But at last the flame Has burnt out.
Her spirit is at rest.
One who never shirked her duty
However hard the call It was faced
with quiet courage An example to us all.
As now the nation mourn her
one voice the people speak
Farewell to a very special lady
Who simply was unique.
Written 2nd April 2002 Mrs A. G
Our resident was, of course, absolutely delighted, and rightly so. Twenty-four years after she wrote those words, they’ve made their way all the way to The King himself. There was much beaming, a few happy tears, and a great deal of well-deserved fuss made over our resident poet.
We’re so proud, and a heartfelt thank you to the team member who made it happen, because sometimes the loveliest moments come from someone simply taking the time to say, “this deserves to be shared.”
