Celebrating her 100th birthday on Friday, October 21, Ruth Park-Pearson received a gift that was unexpected to say the least. In her mailbox, this Scottish veteran of World War II received a birthday card sent by King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
As specified by the royal family on Twitter, these are the first greeting cards with the effigy of the king and queen consort sent by them, since the death, on September 8, 2022, of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96. The snapshot used was taken in the summer of 2018.
1.3 million cards sent by Elizabeth II
As a tradition established in 1917 during the reign of King George V, Britons celebrating their 100th birthday or 60th wedding anniversary receive a greeting card from Her Majesty.
But since then, the tradition has expanded slightly. Therefore, Buckingham Palace also sends out thousands of birthday and wedding anniversary cards each year to those celebrating their 105th birthdays and those celebrating their 65th and 70th wedding anniversaries. Even now it is possible to register on the royal family’s site to receive this precious mail.
As a result, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, around 1.3 million birthday cards were sent in the UK and overseas territories.
Source: BFM TV
