And a special reply letter that will be kept forever

I felt shocked when I heard about the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Not only was she the symbol for Great Britain, but she has become a beloved grandma figure  to young people like me.

My family had an unusual connection  with the queen. When the queen visited China in 1986, my grandfather was the president of Yunnan Minzu University. He was very happy to meet her.

I found out about this when I was 10, and I saw a picture of the queen and my grandfather. Then I got the idea of writing to the queen. I wrote a letter to her on the subject of my grandfather. Luckily, I got a reply letter from the queen’s lady-in-waiting a day before my birthday. It was one of the most special moments of my life. I still remember reading the letter aloud to my classmates at the time. I have cherished the letter ever since and now I do so even more. I will keep this memento from Queen Elizabeth forever.

By Yuan Ningfei, 16, City of London School for Girls, UK