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Judy Guillery could be the last person to receive a letter from the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Guillery is based in Swindon and currently living in Moulden View. She drew a portrait of the Queen during her younger years to commemorate the huge milestone of reaching the Platinum Jubilee in April.
The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration in 2022 that marked the 70th anniversary of her accession as queen, marking the first time a monarch in British history commemorated a platinum jubilee.
She sent a letter to Buckingham Palace to congratulate the Queen for her years as monarch after the Jubilee and included the portrait.
Guillery hoped for a response but was aware that not all of the letters could be responded to and that they might not even get back to her.
Unfortunately, the Queen passed away on September 8, 2022. This inspired Guillery to work on another portrait reflecting her appearance in recent years. This caused an unexpected response to arrive in the form of an envelope.
Despite mixed feelings worldwide surrounding the Queen’s passing, Quillery was saddened and wanted to spend a day drawing her with a new portrait. She was even working on the portrait at the time
The letter provided Guillery a certain degree of closure to her feelings of sadness regarding the Queen’s passing.
She said how she burst into tears when saw it, and for it to come after her death, it compounded her emotions.
The feelings of her death had already caught Guillery off guard, but receiving the letter was enough to trigger the waterworks in her.
Judy achieved virality once she created a TikTok video about the letter, which went viral and is currently being watched worldwide. The video received 2.2 million views, and the comments
This video was what caused speculation that Guillery might have been the last person to receive one of the Queen’s letters.
Guillery was surprised with the response to her TikTok. She mentioned how she only used TikTok to get music on her videos before sharing them on Facebook.
Most of the comments on TikTok joined Judy in her feelings towards the Queen’s passing, and she mourned her on her Facebook profile by expressing how she had been a stable, quiet presence throughout her life and a huge part of what it means for her to be British.
It is a tradition that the Queen sends congratulatory messages in letters to those who celebrate their 100th and 105th birthday every year thereafter.
She also sends letters to those celebrating their 60th, 65th, and 70th wedding anniversaries every year thereafter. You must apply for the message at least three weeks before the day.