The Queen wears brooches given to her as an 18th birthday present by her beloved "Papa". Photo / AP
The Queen wears brooches given to her as an 18th birthday present by her beloved "Papa". Photo / AP
As she reaches 70 years on the throne and the record milestone of her Platinum Jubilee, the Queen has amassed every gift imaginable from dignitaries and leaders around the world.
Little has meant as much to her as the hand-drawn cards and letters from her people, it appears, as she views a nostalgic treasure trove of memorabilia from the milestones of her own reign.
The Queen, who wore a brooch honouring her late father ahead of Accession Day, has viewed a collection of home-made cards from her jubilees, from advice offered by a little boy on how to train her dogs to a fingerprint portrait by toddlers.
One card from her Golden Jubilee in 2002, made from old bottle tops to signify how she was "the tops", was proclaimed "simple but ingenious", while a "Recipe For A Perfect Queen" written by a 9-year-old was praised as "very creative".
The items have been stored in the royal archives at Windsor Castle, and were shown to the Queen by Dr Stella Panayotova, librarian and assistant keeper, ahead of her Platinum Jubilee on Sunday.
Among the objects brought to Her Majesty, who was seated in a comfortable chair in the Oak Room of the castle, was a fan given to Queen Victoria to mark her Golden Jubilee in 1887 by the then Prince and Princess of Wales, later Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
It was signed by her family, including all of her surviving children, and friends including her Prime Minister, the Marquess of Salisbury and Joseph Chamberlain.
The Queen appeared particularly fascinated by the fan, opening and closing it to read the names.
"And where did you come from?" the Queen asked her dorgi amiably, leaning down to stroke the pet. "I know what you want."
Candy, one of the Queen's dogs, made an appearance. Photo / AP
While the country and Commonwealth are preparing for spectacular celebrations for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee over a bank holiday weekend in June, February 6 - Accession Day - marks the moment of her historic 70 years on the throne.
The day is one of quiet reflection for Her Majesty, representing not just the moment she became Queen but also the death of her beloved father, George VI.
The Queen also viewed a finger-print portrait created by school children in Leicestershire and a card reading ‘Ma-am you’re the tops!’ that were sent in for the Golden Jubilee.
The items have been saved in the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle for posterity. pic.twitter.com/6bvAJ3XYBQ
Footage of the Queen viewing the archive of memorabilia shows her wearing two aquamarine and diamond clip brooches, given to her as an 18th birthday present from her beloved "Papa" in April 1944.
The two art deco-style pieces were made by Boucheron from baguette, oval and round diamonds and aquamarines.
She also chose to wear the precious brooches when she addressed the nation on the 75th anniversary of VE Day in 2020 and for her Diamond Jubilee televised speech in 2012.
She will spend Sunday on the Sandringham Estate, as she does each year, to honour her father's memory.
The Queen was also shown Queen Victoria’s Autograph fan from @RCT.
The fan was given to The Queen in 1887 to mark her Golden Jubilee by The Prince and Princess of Wales, later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and is signed by friends and relations of Queen Victoria. pic.twitter.com/9R2biAbb7t
The exhibition, laid out two weeks ago while the Queen and court were still at Windsor, also included a few Platinum Jubilee cards which have already arrived.
She is said to have particularly admired the design of one featuring a picture of her as a young woman surrounded by flowers with the words "70 Glorious Years".
Recipes and pictures of entries to the Platinum Pudding competition were on display, showing how amateur cooks have risen to the challenge of creating a memorable dessert fit for the Queen and the nation.
One aide told the Queen: "We've had a number of Platinum Pudding competition entries that have been coming in in recent weeks. People have been very creative."
The monarch browsed through the images of the entries, taken aback by the detail of one "rather complicated" one, and remarked: "Looks like they're all going to end with crowns on them."
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said the Royal Household receives more than 100,000 pieces of correspondence in a Jubilee year, tens of thousands of which are messages of congratulations and letters of support for the Queen.
The palace has this year advertised for a new fulltime employee to read the post bag and provide a "timely and well composed" letter in response to wellwishers, who are often long-time admirers of the Queen or awe-struck, curious children.
Britain has put on major celebrations for the Queen's Silver, Golden, Diamond and now Platinum Jubilees, with festivities, pageants, concerts, picnics, street parties and thanksgiving service held in all weathers.
The Queen is the only monarch of the United Kingdom to reach the 70-year milestone, joining a small handful of kings and queens around the world.
She is already the country's longest-reigning monarch, surpassing Queen Victoria's 63 years and 216 days.
