Enlarge image
Queen Elizabeth II last week in Wales: criteria for an oldie award "not met"
Photo: Chris Jackson / Getty Images
Some people enjoy the little joys of aging: the senior plate in the restaurant as well as sleeping in in the morning.
Some people even get awarded for it - as "Oldie of the Year" for example.
This award from the British senior magazine "The Oldie" enjoys a certain popularity in the United Kingdom.
Former Prime Minister John Major has it, and Nobel Prize winners have already received it - as has Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who died in April at the age of 99.
But unlike her husband, Queen Elizabeth II does not (yet) believe the award.
Because even if she is only five years younger than her husband, she obviously still feels too young for that.
"Her Majesty believes you are as old as you feel," wrote the 95-year-old's private secretary, Tom Laing-Baker, in a written rejection to the magazine that was published in the November issue.
"Therefore, the Queen is of the opinion that she does not meet the relevant criteria to accept the award and hopes that a more suitable candidate will be found."
Worry about pictures with walking stick
In addition to age, the relevant criteria include the fact that the elderly have made a special contribution to the common good.
Instead of the Queen, the 90-year-old US-French actress Leslie Caron receives the award, which is not meant to be very serious.
The Queen, meanwhile, is clearly making an effort to continue to do a good job even in the, well, advanced senior age and after the death of Prince Philip.
Recently she has made a number of public appearances again.
However, the fact that the monarch recently showed herself with a walking stick at public appointments prompted concerns in Great Britain about her fitness.
Unimpressed by such rumors, she welcomed the EU ambassador, Joao de Almeida, to a private audience on Tuesday.
Your schedule is still well filled.
Perhaps the Queen's rejection is also due to Prince Philips' black humor.
When he was named “Oldie of the Year” in 2011, he wrote in his letter of thanks: “There is nothing better for morale than to be reminded that the years are passing faster and faster and that parts of the old framework are beginning to fall away . "
He added, "But it's nice to be remembered at all." The Queen, it seems, would rather be remembered with other things.
apr / AFP / dpa
