QUEENLY REAL LIFE
Allison Vickers, 40, from Padgate, had the shock of her life when her little girl received a royal seal of approval...
Bringing out a plate of snacks to the street party, Iimmediately burst out laughing.
My daughters Poppy, 13, and Darcy, four, munched on fairy cakes as the road celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. But my daughter Elizabeth, seven, had other ideas.
Wearing aQueen Elizabeth II mask and posing with a cardboard cutout of the Queen, she lapped up the celebrations.
‘Did you name me after Queen Elizabeth?’ she asked.
She was actually named after her nan, my husband Phil’s mum Elizabeth Ann, now 69.
But Elizabeth was obsessed with the Royal Family after learning about them at school.
I’ve always been aPrincess Diana fan –something me and Phil, 36, bonded over –but we rarely spoke about the Royals. Yet Elizabeth’s obsession somehow took off.
While visiting her nan and grandad John, 71, Elizabeth learned about the Royals.
She watched the news with John to keep up with them – she’s yet to watch The Crown.
When Queen Elizabeth passed away in September 2022, Phil went to London.
‘Daddy is saying thank you to the Queen,’ I said to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth watched her televised funeral silently.
As Phil bowed to the Queen’s coffin, Elizabeth was so proud.
While she never asked to go with Phil, Iknew the queues were too long for her anyways. As Elizabeth kept up with Royal Family news, especially after Charles III was crowned, something occurred to her.
‘I don’t think many people like Queen Camilla,’ Elizabeth said. ‘But I think she’s lovely.’ She’s so smart, I thought. Elizabeth was too young to know about the Camilla versus Diana divide, but it didn’t matter that Iwas more of a Diana fan.
What mattered was Elizabeth’s compassion.
Spending one evening at her nan’s in May last year, she came home with adrawing.
‘I’ve written Camilla aletter,’ she told me.
Elizabeth had drawn Queen Camilla in arainbow cape.
You are anice Queen, I love you, she’d written.
‘That’s lovely Elizabeth,’ I smiled. ‘But Queen Camilla is very busy. She might not reply.’
But the very next day, Elizabeth still posted her letter.
Although it was sweet, I didn’t want Elizabeth to get her hopes up waiting for areply.
But on 29 August last year, a letter arrived, address
