Kenville Horne receives thank you letter from Queen Elizabeth II

Journalist Kenville Horne arrived at work last week to a pleasant surprise, one that he said he would cherish for the rest of his life.

Horne said when he arrived at work, he saw a letter on his desk.

“I realized that it was addressed to me, so I began to open it,{{more}}” said Horne.

“As I opened the first envelope, I realized that there was another one inside with my name, so I opened again.”

To his surprise Horne found a letter from Buckingham Palace. The letter, written by Vice- Admiral Tony Johnstone-Burt CB OBE, Master of the Household at Buckingham Palace, read: “Dear Kenville, the Queen has asked me to write to thank you so much for your very kind gift of the charming plaque of children playing cricket. Her Majesty was delighted to be able to present you with your award at Buckingham Palace and sends her best wishes to you and all the young people you work with,” the letter read.

Horne said when he visited the palace in June he took along a souvenir with him. The plaque, which had the words St Vincent and the Grenadines, also had an image of children playing cricket in front of a wooden house.

“When I saw the plaque I was captivated by it, so I said I would take it with me to Buckingham Palace for the Queen, as a sign of appreciation for the award and as a way of promoting my country. I was unsure if the Queen would have received it,” said Horne, who is a 2015 Queen’s Young Leader award recipient.

He said he took the plaque to the palace, but was not allowed to present it to the Queen. “Instead, a man said he would take it and ensure that the Queen receives it, so I gave it to him.

“Now to have acknowledgement that the Queen has received my gift is simply amazing and the fact that she is one of the world’s most recognized figures who is very busy attending official functions, important events, and dealing with world issues, yet she took the time to say thank you, it is an indication of her humility,” Horne said.

He said he was able to speak to the Queen while he was at Buckingham Palace and what struck him most was her amazing physical appearance, her humility and her intelligence, even as she approaches the age of 90 years.

“Some might have their own impression of the Queen based on history, but I am truly honoured to have met her. She gave me the opportunity to represent my country and I did it to the best of my ability, hence the reason for her acknowledgment. This is an indication to our youths, that no matter your past, you can determine your future and reach heights that you yourself would have never imagine,” said the delighted Queen’s Young Leader.

Queen Elizabeth II is the world’s oldest reigning monarch. as well as Britain’s longest-lived. If still reigning on 10 September 2015, she will have become the longest-reigning British head of state and the longest-reigning female monarch in history, surpassing Queen Victoria.