An 11-year-old girl from New South Wales has captured hearts with her touching words and well-wishes for King Charles III.
Maeve Malone, who lives in Willoughby with her family, wrote a letter to the monarch in September 2022 to offer her condolences on the loss of Charles’ late mother, Queen Elizabeth, and to let him know that she believes he will be a “fantastic king”.
Maeve’s letter, which she shared with Ben Fordham on his 2GB series, opened with a quick introduction, before she launched into the heart of her message, writing that she was “really sorry to hear about your mum. I am 10 and in Year 4, Mum and Dad let me stay up to watch Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
“You were so brave on that sad day. I think you will be excellent at leading the commonwealth. I also believe you will be a fantastic king.”
At the end of the page – one embellished with colourful images of purple flowers – Maeve shared another personal message for Charles, letting him know of their shared interest in botany when she said, “Mum told me you like gardening, me too! I hope the flowers in your new home are blossoming.”
“I hope to visit London one day,” she concluded. “When I do, I will go past your home and think of you and your mum.
“Best of luck with your new job.”
After reading Maeve’s letter, radio host Fordham checked in with the young girl, asking her what had prompted her to put pen to paper and contact Charles in the first place.
“I wrote it because I wanted him to know that I was sorry for Queen Elizabeth,” Maeve explained, “I really liked Queen Elizabeth, ‘cause she was a really good leader, and it was really sad for Charles to lose his mum.”
When Fordham asked what Maeve had expected from her kind words, and whether or not she had anticipated a response, the 11 year old was quick to admit that she hadn’t expected one.
But to her delight, she’d been wrong, with a letter arriving in the mail, addressed to her and signed by the monarch.
“I got it out of the letter box, and when I got it … I started jumping with joy,” Maeve said.
That letter – typed up with Charles’ signature at the bottom – read, “it was so very kind of you to send me such a wonderfully generous message following the death of my beloved mother.
“Your most thoughtful words are enormously comforting, and I cannot tell you how deeply they are appreciated at this time of immense sorrow.”
And while Maeve’s entire day might have been made with the kind reply, she still won’t be able to tune in for her new friend’s big day – he might have his coronation to attend, but Maeve is a busy girl, and has a party of her own to get to.
Images: Ben Fordham Live / 2GB
This article first appeared on Over60.