Marley practises his Royal bow
A WIDNES youngster is set to melt the hearts of The Queen and ‘pretty princess’ Meghan Markle after he won a contest to meet the Royal guests during their visit today.
Marley Hannah, six, who attends Farnworth Church Of England Primary School, is now ‘bursting with pride’ and has now been practising how to bow ahead of the big day when Her Majesty Elizabeth II and the Duchess Of Sussex officially open the Mersey Gateway bridge with the unveiling of a plaque.
His delighted mum Amy Hannah, 26, said that Marley, who has special needs, is so excited by his turn of luck after his name was picked out of a hat that when he woke up the day after finding out, he even asked: “Did I dream that I am meeting The Queen”.
The day will be extra special for the Farnworth pupil because, as someone with Asperger’s, he often feels ‘overlooked’ and left out, not picked for the sports teams.
Other children tell him ‘he’s different’.
He certainly will be later this morning when he fulfils what could be a ● once-in-a-lifetime dream.
The day will have added poignancy as his teaching assistant accompanying him for the day also met The Queen when she was around his age back in 1968, and Amy said everyone is ‘dead excited’.
Marley is among a group of children picked to meet The Queen and Duchess Of Sussex and tell them the story of Halton’s bridges across the River Mersey down the years.
He now wants to visit Buckingham Palace too.
Amy said: “He’s over the moon with it.
“We were sat there having dinner and he just came out with it.
“We would have been running out of school to tell people, but we were sat there having our dinner and he said ‘Mum I’m going to see The Queen’.
“I was like ‘what?’, I was dead shocked, ‘are you sure?’”
Amy checked and confirmed Marley’s success via a parent-toparent email system, and is now looking forward to the day with him.
She said: “Once he’s got it in his head, he can’t wait.
“He wants to see Meghan, he thinks she’s dead pretty and he wants to see The Queen.
“He’s dead excited, he can’t wait.
“I’m made up for him, he doesn’t get many opportunities to do much like that. It’s such a big thing for him, he knows he’s different, and says ‘a little boy says I’m different’, so he’s made up, he’s just so excited, it makes him feel important – ‘what little me has been picked to go and meet her?’ His little face lit up. “It’s nice to see him proud and it’s a massive confidence boost for him.
“The fact he’s been picked is a massive thing, it was pure chance.”
Amy added: “It will make him so proud, he says ‘I’m going to see The Queen and Meghan, she’s a pretty princess!’
“It’s massive for him and massive for kids with special needs, I thought it was lovely.”
Marley said: “I am excited to go see our Queen and Princess Meghan, I have been practising my bow!”