"The lady at the post office says, 'You've got a very special piece of mail today'," the mom recalled.
On the morning of September 8, 2022, the day Queen Elizabeth passed, a young girl in Victoria, Australia was at the receiving end of a rather big surprise.
Olivia Akers is now a proud owner of one of the final letters the Queen sent out before her demise at the age of 96. You see, the young girl had sent the late monarch a handwritten letter along with a series of adorable photos of herself dressed up as the royal. According to Nine News, Olivia Akers, who lives with her family on a dairy farm in Tallygaroopna, wrote to the Queen after her Platinum Jubilee in June 2022.
"We wrote the letter because it was her Jubilee and I had an online fancy dress competition and we thought she might like the photos of me dressing up as the Queen," the young girl shared.
"Dear Queen Elizabeth, my name is Olivia Akens. I am eight years old and live in Tallygaroopna in Australia," Olivia wrote in her letter, before telling the Queen that she enjoyed seeing her video with Paddington Bear. "Do you really eat marmalade sandwiches?" she added.
Eight-year-old Olivia Akers from Tallygaroopna in regional Victoria is the proud owner of one of Queen Elizabeth II's last letters, received on the day of her passing. #9Today
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) September 11, 2022
FULL STORY: https://t.co/zI2EPHQVWj pic.twitter.com/RTbzIdLzGM
Olivia and her mother Natalie Akers also attached photos of the child dressed as Her Majesty at the Trooping the Colour ceremony. "I hope you like my photos? My side saddle came from England. My pony's name is Lady and she is an Australian pony. How many horses do you have?" Olivia asked the monarch in her letter.
While in conversation with ABC's Victorian Country Hour with Warwick Long, Akers revealed that since sending the letter, her daughter has been patiently waiting for a reply from the Queen.
However, when it was announced that the 96-year-old royal had died "peacefully" at Balmoral estate, the family assumed they wouldn't get a reply. This is exactly why they were beyond surprised to learn that there was something very special waiting for Olivia at the Tallygaroopna post office that same day.
"The lady at the post office says, 'You've got a very special piece of mail today'," Akers recalled.
I spent today with the cutest 8-year-old you’ll ever see! Olivia Akers received one of #QueenElizabethII last letters after she dressed as the Monarch to mark her #PlatinumJubilee
— Inga Neilsen (@inga_neilsen) September 12, 2022
See the full story 5.30 tonight @WINNews_Alb pic.twitter.com/jsMGDtBV5i
"We had a bit of a greeting card for the Queen's Jubilee thanking her for the letter, and then a personalised message from the Queen's lady-in-waiting acknowledging Liv sitting there on her 'splendid' pony," she added.
In the reply, a representative of the Queen thanked Olivia on Her Majesty's behalf, writing: "The Queen wishes me to thank you very much for the kind message you sent following the culmination of celebrations for Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee." The letter added that the monarch "was interested" in the photographs "in which you and your splendid pony, Lady, are depicted in the costume... Her majesty was touched to know that you too enjoy horse-riding."
Just like Akers described, the experience and timing of the arrival of the letter were "just beautiful." Olivia was in school when Akers came in possession of the letter and she immediately rushed over to show it to her daughter, who shared the splendid news with all her friends, too.
"We all got a little bit teary to have such a special letter arrive and it's probably one of her last letters that she would have written," she said. "I'm sure Olivia will treasure that letter for the rest of her life."
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Cover Image Source: YouTube | Sky News
