The Queen has responded to a twelve year old boy’s letter addressed to her, asking her to return the six counties of Northern Ireland to the Republic.
Twelve year old Reese Kilbride was learning about the easter Rising centenary commemorations at St Helen’s senior national school in Portmarnock, Co Dublin.
Reese said: “We were learning about the Easter Rising and how much trouble they brought to Ireland and that they had the six counties – they didn’t give back all of Ireland, so I thought they should give it back.”
In his correspondence, he included a drawing of the Queen alongside his best friend, Ethan and himself.
Reese revealed his mother, Fiona Dowling, told him to be polite, to address the Queen as ‘Your Majesty’. She also prepared him by telling him not to expect a response from the monarch. “I thought it would hit the shredder immediately given the amount of correspondence she receives,” Ms Dowling said.
But to everyones surprise, a letter arrived last week from Buckingham Palace addressed to Reese. His mother expressed her surprise: “I told him not to expect a response as she is a very busy lady so you can imagine my reaction when I saw a letter arrive addressed to my son from Buckingham Palace.”
To their surprise, the queen wrote back through her deputy correspondence co-ordinator Jennie Vine.
The letter reads in full:
“The Queen has asked me to thank you for your recent letter in which you wished to tell Her Majesty that you have been learning about the history of the Easter Rising 1916.
“While it was thoughtful of you to let The Queen know of your views, I must explain that this is not a matter in which Her Majesty would intervene.
“As a constitutional sovereign, The Queen acts on the advice of her Ministers and remains strictly non-political at all times.
“Her Majesty has asked me to thank you for the pictures you drew especially for her, and I would like to send you and your family my good wishes at this time.”
This certainly isn’t the first time Her Majesty has responded to requests made by cirises and others alike. Late last year, the Queen turned down a birthday party invitation made by a little girl who requested the Her Majesty’s presence at her party.
Nice story, although it’s a shame that his mother didn’t teach the lad that the people of Northern Ireland had voted to remain a part of Britain rather than to join the Republic.
It is unfortunate that ancient hatreds and rivalries in Ireland are handed down from generation to generation as is a curse on the future.