A North Dakota woman wrote to Queen Elizabeth II for the past 70 years while sharing the same birthday as Her Majesty.
Adele Hankey, from Park River, North Dakota, said she’ll “miss” her pen pal after the queen died at the age of 96 last week.
The letter exchange was “very important” to Adele, her niece Phyllis Hankey told Fox News Digital.
Queen Elizabeth II and her American pen pal were both born on April 21, 1926.
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In 1953, Hankey first wrote to the queen when she was crowned.
“They’ve kind of…been pen pals ever since my aunt sent her a congratulation letter when she was made the queen,” Phyllis remarked.
Adele was shocked to receive a birthday card from the monarch in return.
Phyllis helped her aunt send her letters over the years. “I’m the one that’s…made sure that got it in the mailbox…in these later years,” Phyllis explained, since her aunt has been unable to drive recently due to her age. “It’s very important to her to get it in the mail, and then she’s very anxious to wait back for it.”
Phyllis continued to say that the queen’s letter stationery was “so fancy,” whenever her aunt received mail from Her Majesty.
Seven decades later, Adele said she was heartbroken by the news about the queen’s death.
“Oh, absolutely. You miss your pen pals,” Adele said, according to KFYR.
Hankey explained that her letter exchange with the queen became a birthday tradition, and she was ecstatic when she first received a letter from Her Majesty.
“I could have jumped out of my shoes,” she told the media outlet.
The North Dakota woman reflected on her writing techniques to Her Majesty and noted that she always received a royal letter back.
“We had a teacher in school that said make your l’s long and your e’s little. So, we did,” said Hankey.
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“I asked her for a hat. I was hoping she would send me one. But she sent a lovely picture on her birthday.”
Although Hankey can’t recall how many letters were exchanged between her and Queen Elizabeth II, she went on to say that the two shared similar interests in their food preference.
“The recipes the queen liked were with marmalade. And so do I. How about that?” Hankey added.
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Queen Elizabeth II reigned over the United Kingdom for 70 years. Her Majesty’s coffin is lying in state at Westminster Hall ahead of her funeral on Monday.
King Charles III ascended the throne after his mother’s death. She had been the longest-reigning British monarch.
