UAE: Boy who wrote to Queen Elizabeth recalls joy at having received royal mail

Then eight-year-old Samuel Peter D'Costa wanted to know how the Queen was doing when the pandemic hit, so he wrote her a letter

Nandini Sircar

Published: Tue 13 Sep 2022, 5:10 PM

Last updated: Tue 13 Sep 2022, 7:07 PM

Not many people would have received a royal mail from the Windsor Castle. But for those who have, it certainly is a day to remember.

For Samuel Peter D'Costa, that day was February 4, 2021. And at that time, he was a wide-eyed eight-year-old holding the special mail — a response to a letter he had written to Queen Elizabeth II when the pandemic hit in 2020.

"It was my idea…nobody suggested it to me. I love the United Kingdom and everything about it. I have been extremely fascinated by its history and particularly the royal family," said the UAE resident, who is now 11 years old.

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“I have read about the Queen and her children. In my letter I enquired about Her Majesty's health as I had written the letter during the pandemic times," D'Costa told Khaleej Times.

He also wrote that he wanted to eventually study and work in UK when he grows up.

"The Royal Family also has an interesting family tree. Although it’s a bit confusing for me as a child, it really excites me to learn more about them.”

The day he got the letter

D'Costa clearly remembers the moment he received the royal reply, which was written by the Queen’s Lady-in- Waiting, Susan Hussey.

"Frankly, I hadn’t expected it. It was such a pleasant surprise,” said the Grade 6 student at Pearl Wisdom School, Dubai.

Here's a photo of the letter that D'Costa received from the Windsor Castle:

It reads: “The Queen wishes me to thank you very much for your letter. Her Majesty was pleased to hear that you and your family are keeping safe and well during the current situation.

"The Queen thought it’s kind of you to tell her about your interest in the United Kingdom, and your ambition to visit the country, and perhaps work here when you are a little older.

"I am to thank you once gain for writing to Her Majesty as you did and for sending you good wishes to The Queen at this time.”

D'Costa and his parents were all over the moon. "I also told some of my close friends and they were shocked to hear that I had received a response from the Windsor Castle,” the boy said.

Now that Queen Elizabeth had died, he plans to write another letter — this time to King Charles III.

“I want to send my heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family on Her Majesty’s demise. I knew, eventually that this day would come, when the Queen was gone. But she lives in our hearts, as she was the longest reigning monarch and a much-loved Queen who had served her people for seven decades,” D'Costa told Khaleej Times.

The kid, who loves studying the diversity of human experience, cultures, ideas and traditions, dreams of becoming a historian.

"I love the subject, history. I hope that like in the era of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, His Majesty King Charles III continues their rich legacy, and I know, he will be able to do it," he said.

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