'Is it real?' Heartwarming moment boy, 9, opens one of last thank-you cards from Queen

Thomas Miller wrote to Her Majesty about the Platinum Jubilee - and tell her about his coin collection

07:55, 18 Sep 2022Updated 07:55, 18 Sep 2022

A nine year-old boy received one of the last ever thank-you cards from the Queen, posted out from Buckingham Palace on the day Her Majesty died.

And Thomas Miller's family filmed the magical moment he opened his royal letter.

Thomas, from Northenden, south Manchester, whispers with wide-eyed amazement 'Is it real?' before slowing reading out the Queen's message in full with his mum, Cath. With a huge grin, he then turns the card around to the camera to reveal a photograph of Her Majesty which accompanied the message.

People queueing to see Queen warned of 24 hour wait and cold overnight temperatures

Thomas, a pupil at Northenden Community School, wrote to Queen Elizabeth II to let her know he was a big fan and to congratulate her on her Platinum Jubilee.

He also told the Queen in his letter about his large collection of coins, which include special edition coins minted to mark Her Majesty's 70-year reign on the throne and Silver Jubilee coins. The card to Thomas was posted out from Buckingham Palace on the morning of the Queen's death.

Thomas's dad, Russell Miller, 49, told the Manchester Evening News : "I felt so glad for him when it arrived. He sent his letter, obviously, before she died and when the card arrived he was over the moon.

"He is taking it into school to show it at an assembly. He is a big fan of the Queen and the card was dated the morning that she died. Thomas sent the letter specifically about the Platinum Jubilee. He congratulated her on that and said he was a big fan.

"He has also collected coins for a few years now. He loves different Royal Mint coins and has commemorative coins from the Silver Jubilee and the Paddington Bear ones as well. He has a big collection.

"He wrote the letter off his own back - completely. He loves the Royal Family and was a big fan of the Queen.

"He saw all the Paddington Bear stuff with the Queen over her Platinum Jubilee and it was shortly after that that he decided to write to her. When I posted it, we just wrote 'The Queen, Buckingham Palace'. We did not think that we would get a reply. But we did and it will be one of the last ever."

The card reads: "I send you my grateful thanks for your kind message on the occasion of the Seventieth Anniversary of my Accession to the Throne." A photo of the Queen smiling in blue is also printed onto it.

Thomas told the M.E.N.: "I always liked the Queen - she was very kind and I knew all about the Jubilee.

"I have got all the coins - the Platinum Jubilee 50p and the Silver Jubilee coin and the £5 Platinum Jubilee coin. I felt really happy and excited to have got the card. My teacher told the headteacher and I am going to show it at assembly. We are going to frame it."

Dad Russell said it showed just what impact and inspiration the royals can have on children and adults alike, and sent his family's thanks - and thoughts - to all the Royal Family on the Queen's passing.

He added: "It was Thomas's birthday on the seventh and she died on the eighth. The card was sent second class and arrived on the ninth or tenth. Thomas was a bit upset because obviously he knew that she had died and thought he would not get a letter.

"It came during the day and we waited for him to get home from school to open it. He was really happy. He could not believe it because he didn't think he would get anything. I was so pleased for him - he deserves it. It means a lot to him and he is taking it into school to show everyone at an assembly."

Queen Elizabeth II passed away peacefully at the Balmoral retreat in Scotland on September 8 aged 96. The UK's longest reigning monarch, the Queen succeeded to the throne in February 1952, at the age of 27, following the death of her father, King George VI.

Her state funeral will be held on Monday, a Bank Holiday, at Westminster Abbey with hundreds of thousands expected in London to mark the occasion.

You can share your tribute in our online condolence book.

READ NEXT: