British citizens honor Queen Elizabeth II: She ‘spread her love across the world’
Fox News Digital spoke with people in the U.K. about what Queen Elizabeth II meant to them, as they waited to pay respects to the Monarch.
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.
MOURNERS HONOR QUEEN ELIZABETH II: SHE ‘SPREAD HER LOVE ACROSS THE WORLD’
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.
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. (Getty Images)
Hankey was shocked to receive a birthday card from the monarch in return.
She told Fox News Digital, "Every time she got a letter, she wrote to me - she never missed a letter. Neither did I. She was a real pen-pal."
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, Hankey said she was heartbroken by the news about the queen's death.
"Oh, absolutely. You miss your pen pals," she said, according to KFYR.
"May her soul…rest in peace," the 96-year-old told Fox News Digital.
Reflecting upon their relationship, Hankey says had she met the queen, "I would have given her a hug and said…‘Do you know we are the very same age and all?'"
She 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 KFYR.
Grenadier Guards flank the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II during a procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. The queen is lying in state in Westminster Hall before her funeral on Monday, Sept. 19. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
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."
Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral will be held Sept. 19 at Westminster Abbey. (Alastair Grant - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Although she can’t recall how many letters were exchanged between her and Queen Elizabeth II, Hankey 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?" she added.
Hankey told Fox News Digital that both she and the monarch also enjoyed ball games.
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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.
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King Charles III ascended the throne after his mother's death. She had been the longest-reigning British monarch.
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