October 21, 2021
Queen Elizabeth II, who turned 95 last April, has declined an award for “Oldie of the Year” from a British magazine, with a polite—if slightly cheeky—response, reports Page Six of The New York Post.
“Her Majesty believes you are as old as you feel; as such the Queen does not believe she meets the relevant criteria to be able to accept and hopes you find a more worthy recipient,” Tom Laing-Baker, the Queen’s assistant private secretary, said in a letter shared by the magazine on Tuesday, October 19.
The Oldie, a British monthly, is aimed at the mature set “as a light-hearted alternative to a press obsessed with youth and celebrity,” its website trumpets. Every year the editors bestow an Oldie of the Year award in a light-hearted ceremony. Previous winners have included Eileen Atkins, Glenda Jackson, Peter Blake, and David Hockney.
But at least one member of the royal family approves of the ceremony. The Queen’s daughter-in-law, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, turned up at Oldie’s awards lunch to hand out honors like Champion Knitter of the Year and Truly Scrumptious Oldie of the Year.
In her remarks, Camilla, 74, acknowledged the advantages of aging: “Watching one’s children growing up; enjoying one’s grandchildren—knowing that they’ll be going home after the visit; finding more time to read; finding time to read The Oldie—and coming to jolly lunches like this one,” Prince Charles’s wife said, according to People.
The Oldie magazine clearly has a soft spot for the Royal Family. The Queen’s husband, Prince Phillip, who passed away in April at age 99, was named Consort of the Year at the awards in 2012.
He accepted the award warmly, writing: “There is nothing like it for morale to be reminded that the years are passing—ever more quickly,” and adding, “but it is nice to be remembered at all.”
Research contact: @PageSix
