LONDON, Oct 20 (BUS) – Britain’s 95-year-old Queen Elizabeth, who has ruled her country for nearly seven decades, said she feels too young to be given the title of ‘child of the year’, a revealing aid.
The organizers of the annual Tongue-in-Cheek Awards – who have received previous awards from Oscar-winning actors, Nobel Prize winners, and the Queen’s mother, who died at 101 in 2002 – approached the Queen to see if she would consider accepting the honor herself.
But presenter Giles Brandreth, chair of the awards ceremony run by Oldie magazine, said they had received a “beautiful letter” sending her their best wishes but declined the offer.
The letter sent by Tom Laing Baker, King of Queen Elizabeth, stated that “Her Majesty the Queen believes you are as old as you feel, and therefore the Queen does not believe you meet the relevant criteria to be able to accept and hopes to find a more worthy recipient.” Assistant Special Secretary, Reuters reported.
Elizabeth is following in the footsteps of her late husband, Prince Philip, who died in April at the age of 99. A decade ago, he turned down the opportunity to win the award, which has run for 29 years to celebrate the contributions of older adults to public life.
“There’s nothing like that to remind morale that the years are passing by – faster than ever – and pieces are starting to fall off the old tire,” Philip said according to Brandreth. “But it’s good to remember her at all.”
This year’s ceremony still bears the royal seal of approval, as Camilla, wife of Elizabeth’s son and heir to the throne Prince Charles, was present to present the awards.
“Long live the Queen! Perhaps in the future we will hear Her Majesty’s voice again,” Brandreth wrote on the magazine’s website.
HF