Days after meeting Her Royal Highness at our early Big Jubilee Lunch event, George received a surprise letter.
On Tuesday 3 May, George attended The Big Jubilee Lunch at Emmaus Mossley, an event to celebrate our 25th anniversary and to build excitement for the Queen’s upcoming Platinum Jubilee. Her Royal Highness also attended the event and after a tour of our Secondhand Superstore, took the time to chat to Emmaus Mossley companions and volunteers.
George, who has been volunteering with us as a PAT tester for over three years, sat at a table with The Duchess during the lunch and enjoyed chatting to her.
The dad-of-four and grandad-of-seven said: “There was a piece of tape around a chair, which meant that the Duchess of Cornwall was going to sit there and that was opposite me. I was a bit nervous, actually, because you never know what it’s like to meet royalty.
“But she was absolutely wonderful. She was relaxed and talked to everybody about their involvement with Emmaus.
“When she turned and spoke to me, I told her that I would be turning 75 in a week. And she said, ‘wow, that means you’re older than me, it’s my 75th birthday in July!’
“Later, as she was leaving the Emmaus shop, she called out, ‘George, don’t forget, you’re older than me and it’s your birthday first! She was really special and she has a great sense of humour. It was amazing!”
A suprise delivery
A few days after the lunch event, George returned to volunteer at Emmaus and was stunned to discover a birthday card had arrived for him from Clarence House. The front of the card is a watercolour painted by The Prince of Wales, while the message inside is handwritten by The Duchess of Cornwall.
George added: “I was surprised when I opened the card. It’s so special and lovely. The painting by Prince Charles looks really lovely. My family was so shocked – my daughter heard someone say something about it and she told them, ‘that was my dad!’
“It’s brilliant – I am very thankful to The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall. The other volunteers and I will send a card to Camilla when it’s her birthday and we’re all going to sign it and write messages.”
George also shared his favourite thing about volunteering at Emmaus Mossley, adding: “Everyone is so lovely and special – you can talk to them about anything and have a laugh with them. It’s smashing.”
Read more about George’s volunteering experience at Emmaus Mossley.