When Queen Elizabeth II was just eleven years old, she wrote a sweet letter to her parents to celebrate the Coronation of her Father, King George VI in 1937. Now, The Royal Collection Trust has made the Queen’s handwritten letter public, for the first time ever, giving an insight into the Queen’s childhood.
In the letter, the then Princess wrote, “the Coronation, 12 May, 1937.” She addressed the letter to “mamma and papa” in “memory of their coronation,” and was signed, “From Lilibet By herself.” The Nickname “Lilibet” was given to the Queen when she was a young child by her family.
Signed “Lilibet by herself”- An Adorable Note Written By 11-Year-Old Queen Elizabeth Made Public for The First Time
Queen Elizabeth, in the letter, wrote in detail about the ongoing coronation following the relinquishment of the Throne by King George VI’s brother, Edward VIII. Edward decided to relinquish the throne voluntarily due to the condemnation of his decision to marry his wife, Wallis Simpson (who was an American divorcee) by the British Government and the Church of England. He was the first English King to ever abdicate the throne.
Queen Elizabeth’s father who was next in line to the throne then had to be crowned King, and this was the details of which the then Princess wrote about. She started by detailing how she was awoken by 5.a.m by the sounds of Royal Marines outside her window.
She also mentioned that two hours later, the family picked up her sister, Princess Margaret from the nursery. The then Princess also informed her parents that the sisters could not finish their breakfasts as they were really excited. Also in the letter, the Princess did not leave out details of her dress and that of her sister, stating that she loved the “little gold bows all the way down the middle.”
She then said, she and Princess Margaret “kissed mummy and wished her good luck” before they left for Westminster Abbey. She ended the letter, and signed “Lilibet,” a name that’s now grown on her. The Queen’s husband also called her by that nickname all through their marriage before he died. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle honored the Queen by naming their daughter Lilibet, after her.
