Horsham girl, 8, receives poignant reply to letter to the Queen

Eight-year-old Rosie Parsons wrote to the Queen in June congratulating her on her Platinum Jubilee and enquiring about her dorgi dog after learning about dorgis at school.

Rosie coloured a picture of a corgi as a gift for the Queen and also sent Queen Elizabeth a photo of her own pet, a miniature dachsund called Ted.

Rosie’s mum Charlotte said: “We were a little concerned that we hadn’t had a reply. Then in the first week of September her letter arrived.

"The letter is dated 26th August and is on Balmoral letter-headed paper. Rosie was so pleased that the letter refers to our dog Ted by name, and that time had been taken to include a glossy A4 double-sided information sheet all about The Queen’s pets, including the dorgis.

“It was then the following week that The Queen sadly died.”

In her hand-written letter, Rosie, from Merryfield Drive, told the Queen about Ted and said: “I like to call him a sausage dog because he is a miniature, he is more of a cocktail sausage!”

She also said that she would be taking Ted along to a Jubilee party in Horsham and told the Queen: “He loves doggy ice cream.”

In a reply from Balmoral, Lady in Waiting Annabel Whitehead, told Rosie: “The Queen wishes me to thank you for your letter in which you told Her Majesty that you have a dachshund called Ted and you enclosed a splendid photograph of him for the Queen to see.

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"I am sorry that owing to the large number of messages received in recent months it has not been possible to reply to you before now.

"Her Majesty was glad to hear from you and, although unable to reply to you personally, the Queen was touched by the nice things you said.

"I enclose some information about Her Majesty’s pets which I hope you enjoy reading and I am to thank you for your thought for the Queen in this her Platinum Jubilee Year.”