
A group of friends in the town of Sandwich have written to The Queen asking her to honour a 444 year old debt, which is now thought to be in the region of £8 billion.
The debt comes after Queen Elizabeth I made a promise back in 1572; where she agreed to pay for dredging the River Stour. However, the money never materialised
This led to a group of friends who call themselves the Haven Café’s Breakfast Club to writing a letter to Her Majesty requesting for the debt to be honoured.
The Queen’s Lady-in-Waiting, Philippa de Pass, responded to the letter on The Queen’s behalf interested to hear about the club’s discovery and the history behind it.
The letter read: “The Queen was interested to know of the historical accounts you discovered in which you say Queen Elizabeth I came to Sandwich in 1572.
“Although unable to reply to you personally, Her Majesty hopes you have enjoyed looking at the activities and records written so very many years ago.
“I am to send you The Queen’s good wishes and thank you for your thought for Her Majesty in writing as you did.”
However, members aren’t fully satisfied with this response.
Ron Coleman told Kent Online: “We had almost lost hope when the reply came but we were pleasantly surprised, and indeed honoured, that she responded.
“Now then, the lack of a substantive reply to the serious matter of the silting of the Stour is less than satisfactory and we feel that a more considered explanation is necessary.
“If Her Majesty believes that a polite brush off is going to settle the issue I fear she is going to be very disappointed.
“One of our members, an accountant, has calculated the subsequent loss of income to Sandwich over the 444 years allowing for inflation to be not less than £8 billion.
“We don’t want to be unreasonable and suggest that our present mayor should settle for £7 billion.”
The letter now hangs proudly on the wall of the breakfast club.
A pack of lies, nothing to worry about._
Bunch of snotty, over-privileged malcontents with nothing better to do than go begging at the palace for a handout and more benefits. Childish and insulting are words that come to mind. Grow up!
Please read the humorous tone of the letter and grow up yourself…
It is very amusing of them to go to all that trouble 😀 , now the can relax and keep quiet unless they come up with another new discovery..
Damn traitors, how dare they. Not only that but Elizabeth I owes the debt, not Elizabeth II. Sandwich has enjoyed many many years of protection both on land and sea from Kings and Queens of the past and to be so ungrateful is unacceptable. Her Majesty should have just thrown the letter in the bin and laughed it off. Idiots.
The poor queen, writing in a chilly chamber of one of her royal residences, needs to wear wool hat and coat to perform her royal duties of taking care of her correspondence.
There are times when the simple matter is blown out of proportion by those who suffer delusions of grandeur. Put them over your knee Ma’am and teach them some bloody manners.
First: The UK Limitations Act means that they can’t claim for a debt more than 6 years after it was due (i.e. they should have claimed before 1578 to have a chance). Second: This was a “promise” and not any contractual document – so not enforceable. Third: She promised to pay for the dredging, not do the dredging. So the only damages would be if the town had paid instead and they could get back any interest. If the dredging never happened, then it wasn’t the Queen’s fault. Finally: If her majesty had admitted the debt in the response, on the basis it was a promise on behalf of the crown rather than a personal promise of Elizabeth I, they might have had some sort of moral/ethical challenge. But that was nicely sidestepped by the response.
Quite right Graham and nicely put