Rhiannon Ingle
A couple received a congratulatory card from The Queen the day she passed away and have now opened up about the heartfelt moment they received it.
Anne and Brian Clarke, from Derbyshire, got something a little more exciting than bills in their post last Thursday (8 September) - the day Queen Elizabeth II passed away at 96-years-old.
Anne and Brian, to their delight, found a personalised letter addressed from none other than Her Majesty herself.
The letter congratulated the pair on their diamond wedding anniversary to royally mark the 60 years of marriage the Clarkes had behind them.
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The card read: "I am so pleased to know that you are celebrating your Diamond Anniversary on 8th September, 2022. I send my congratulations and best wishes to you on such a special occasion."
After kicking off the family celebrations to commemorate the occasion at a restaurant, the death of Britain's longest-reigning monarch was announced.
An official statement read: "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."
More than just a card, Mrs Clarke referred to the personalised letter as a 'brilliant memento', reports the BBC.
She said: "There was a beautiful photograph on the front and a nice sentiment inside as well.
"I've always liked the Royal Family, especially the Queen, and I think she's done a brilliant job over the years - a really brilliant job.
"It's a brilliant memento. I never thought we'd make 60, let alone get a card from the Queen," the Darley Dale resident disclosed.
Mrs Clarke also reminisced about her memories of The Queen as a young girl, revealing that she once waited at the side of a road in the hopes to sneak a glimpse of her.
"The very first time I saw her, she was Princess Elizabeth," she said.
"I can remember standing on the A6 with the schoolchildren and her going back in the car, but then I saw her again in 1968. For the coronation itself, my mum and dad bought a television.
"We were one of the first to get a television where we lived and I watched the coronation with one of those big magnifying glasses over the top of it," she concluded.
The Queen's funeral is set to take place on Monday 19 September at 11:00am, with the service being held at Westminster Abbey.