Following the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in September, children at Little Acorns Nursery, Padiham, began to create their own pictures showcasing their interpretation of her as their monarch. The result was a beautiful collection of images that were at times quirky and always charming, creative and unique. Many were also rather touching, given the subject matter and circumstances. So much so, in fact, that once complete, staff at Little Acorns decided to send them, on behalf of the children, to the Royal Family. So, off they went, packaged up with a covering note passing on sincere condolences to the Royal Family from both staff and children at the nursery.
A Message from the King
Then, in early February, to our surprise and absolute delight, we received correspondence notably featuring a postmark from Buckingham Palace and a Royal crest. It was addressed to the children and staff at Little Acorns Nursery, Padiham. Inside was a beautiful and heartfelt reply card and message, sent by none other than King Charles himself!
As with the envelope, the front of the card featured King Charles’s Royal Cypher. That is a type of crest with the King’s initial ‘C’ intertwined with the letter ‘R’ (short for ‘Rex’, which is Latin for ‘King’) and ‘III’ because, of course, he is King Charles III. The cypher also integrates the symbol of the King’s Royal Crown.
Inside, there is a wonderful vintage-style photograph of King Charles as a young boy with his mother, then the young Queen. Both can be seen smiling happily and it’s a very poignant photograph given the circumstances. Facing that was an incredibly touching message, signed at the bottom by King Charles himself:
“It was so very kind of you to send me such a wonderfully generous message following the death of my beloved mother. Your most thoughtful words are enormously comforting, and I cannot tell you how deeply they are appreciated at this time of immense sorrow.” (Signed: Charles R)
The main image above shows the details described.
Staff posted on social media: “Receiving the card and sharing it with the children was a very special time for us” and comments received on the post included, “This is just so lovely and such a touching letter from the King. Something to treasure” and “…have you seen this? I cried when I read it this morning.” So, it has been very touching indeed.
It’s not every day that one receives a message from a monarch, so this wonderful surprise and message really made February incredibly special for our children and staff. A huge ‘well done’ to all the children who created such lovely images and to the staff of Little Acorns Nursery for taking the extra step of sending them to the His Royal Highness the King and the Royal Family. It’s also good to think that the children’s adorable images may have been of some solace to the King in his time of sorrow.
About That Children’s Book
The eagle-eyed will notice that the little photo above also shows one of the nursery children’s most popular books, “Where’s Mrs Queen?” by Ingela P Arrhenius. Part of a series, this ‘early years’ book features charming illustrations and interactive felt flaps inside. The children can use these to reveal London-themed characters like a policeman, a bus driver, a soldier and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II herself (and a corgi dog, of course). The final page even integrates a surprise mirror, so the children can reveal their own faces — much to their delight and amusement! It’s a simple but fun, interactive and, importantly, sensory book for the little ones to discover and explore.
Nursery & Pre-School Places at Little Acorns, Padiham, in Lancashire
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