Queen declines Oldie award as ‘you’re only as old as you feel’
SHE is still riding horses, entertaining world leaders and has mastered the video call: at the age of 95, the Queen feels she could not possibly qualify for an “Oldie of the Year” award.
The Queen has “politely but firmly” turned down a trophy from The Oldie magazine, believing “you are only as old as you feel”.
At the awards ceremony at the Savoy in London yesterday, Gyles Brandreth, the chairman of the awards, said he had hoped to bestow the annual honour on the Queen in recognition of her leadership during the pandemic and in the lead-up to her Platinum Jubilee celebrations next year.
Instead, he received a letter from her assistant private secretary, Tom Laingbaker, explaining: “Her Majesty believes you are as old as you feel, as such The Queen does not believe she meets the relevant criteria to be able to accept and hopes you will find a more worthy recipient.”
The Duchess of Cornwall instead attended the awards, making a comic turn as its star speaker.
For the past 29 years, the Oldie of the Year Awards has celebrated the achievements of those of the older generation who have made a special contribution to public life. Previous winners have included everyone from Oscar winners to Nobel laureates, community care nurses and veteran athletes, such as former prime minister Sir John Major, actress Dame Olivia de Havilland and artist David Hockney.
As she approaches her platinum jubilee next year, the Queen has kept a busy schedule since the lifting of Covid restrictions and death of the Duke of Edinburgh. Yesterday, Buckingham Palace released a video of Her Majesty in an online audience with the governor general designate of New Zealand, Dame Cindy Kiro, in which the Queen began the call with a cheerful: “Ah, there you are!”
Last night, the Queen – along with the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge – hosted a reception at Windsor for business and investment leaders to mark the Global Investment Summit.
Brandreth revealed that the actress Dame Maureen Lipman, one of the judges, initiated the idea for the magazine to honour the Queen.
He described the letter he received from Balmoral in response as “lovely”, saying: “We endorse what the Queen says and understand completely, but we are keeping our powder dry and maybe in a decade or so it might be appropriate to try again.”
The Duchess of Cornwall, 74, who received the Oldie Award for Spouse of the Year in 2006, told the audience: “We all experience those senior moments. But there are advantages to growing older too. Watching your children growing up, enjoying one’s grandchildren – and knowing that they’ll be going home after the visit.”
The late Duke of Edinburgh was named Oldie of the Year in 2011 to mark his 90th birthday.
This year’s award went to actress and dancer Leslie Caron – who, at 90, is five years younger than the Queen.