A little girl from regional Victoria has received one of the last letters ever sent by the Queen after she sent Her Majesty a series of adorable photos of herself dressed as a royal, astride her beloved pony Lady.
Olivia Akers, eight, who lives with her family on a dairy farm in Tallygaroopna in northern Victoria, received a response from the palace on Friday – the same day it was announced Queen Elizabeth II had died “peacefully” at the age of 96.
Her mother Natalie, the mastermind behind the adorable military-style costume, described the timing of the precious letter as “very coincidental.”
The letter, signed by Lady-In-Waiting Annabelle Whitehead, thanked Olivia for her thoughtfulness in writing to Her Majesty (pictured, the eight-year-old and her pony Lady)
Mrs. Akers decided to pass the adorable photos on to the Queen herself and included a handwritten note from her daughter (pictured, Olivia holding her letter to the Queen)
She had initially planned for her daughter to debut the costume at a local horse show, but had come across a UK dress up contest online.
Ms. Akers decided to use the competition as a source of inspiration to complete the costume and asked the organizers if they would like to hire an international participant.
Olivia’s costume, inspired by the annual Trooping the Color ceremony, ultimately failed to win the online competition.
However, Ms Akers decided to pass the adorable photos on to the Queen herself and included a handwritten note from her daughter.
“Dear Queen Elizabeth, my name is Olivia Akers, I am eight years old and I live in Tallygaroopna in Australia,” the letter begins.
‘I really liked your video with Paddington Bear. Do you really eat sandwiches with marmalade? I’ve attached some photos from an online horse costume contest for your platinum anniversary.
‘I hope you like my pictures? My side saddle came from England. My pony is called Lady and she is an Australian pony.
‘How many horses do you have? I hope you had a nice anniversary. I love Olivia.’
Pictured is Olivia at her local post office in June, moments before she sent the letter
A little girl from regional Victoria has received one of the last letters ever sent by the Queen after sending Her Majesty a series of photos of herself dressed as a royal on her pony Lady
After posting the letter in June, Olivia waited patiently for several weeks before receiving a reply, probably one of the last letters the Queen had ever sent.
The letter from Balmoral Castle arrived in Tallygaroopna on Friday – the same day it was announced that Britain’s longest reigning monarch had sadly passed away.
Ms. Akers says she was expecting some parcels and had asked the post office clerk if they had received them.
“They said, ‘You don’t have any packages, but you do have a very, very special letter here,’” she recalls, adding that she rushed to Olivia’s school to show her daughter.
The eight-year-old said she had been “excited” to open the letter and proudly read the Queen’s reply to her classmates.
The letter from Balmoral Castle (pictured) arrived in Tallygaroopna on Friday, the same day it was announced that Britain’s longest-reigning monarch had passed away
The letter, signed by Lady-In-Waiting Annabelle Whitehead, thanked Olivia for her thoughtfulness in writing to Her Majesty.
“The Queen was interested in the photos you have attached, which show you and your beautiful pony, lady, in the costume you have chosen for the festive competition in which you entered,” the note read.
“Her Majesty was touched to know that you too love horseback riding, and I want to thank you again for your thoughtfulness in writing to the Queen, as you did then.”
“The timing is quite remarkable,” Ms Akers said, adding that Lady, who collaborated on the costume, “were the best bangs we’ve ever had.”
“Liv will cherish this memory for the rest of her life.”
Olivia’s mom Natalie said her daughter would cherish the letter for years to come