5-year-old Santa Rosa girl writes letter to Queen Elizabeth about dogs, horses, receives unexpected reply
SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KGO) -- At 5-years-old, life remains pretty simple.
Maggie Couch, of Santa Rosa, loves riding horses and also her family's Welsh Corgi dogs.
"They cuddle with me," explained Maggie.
"I've been very lucky with her," added her mother, Casey.
Even with favorite dogs, it does take some creativity to keep a 5-year-old engaged and active, especially during a pandemic.
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So how fortunate that the middle name Elizabeth runs in Couch family.
"My grandmother, mother, sister, myself, and now my two daughters," Casey rattled off.
It is a female tribute to Queen Elizabeth of England, who is also cooped up in the pandemic.
So on a slow, hot day last July, Maggie went to work crayons, paper, and dictated a letter to her mom, for the Queen, about their common interests in horses and Corgis.
"It was a rambling letter," recalled Casey. "Maggie included her drawings, some pictures, and a few favorites from her sticker collection."
"Did you expect a response?" ABC7's Wayne Freedman asked.
"No. I didn't," she said.
So guess what arrived in the mail last week from Balmoral Castle and addressed to Maggie?
It was a personal letter to her written on behalf of Queen Elizabeth.
"The Queen was pleased to hear that you, too, are fond of dogs," Casey read from the letter. At the bottom, we found the signature from one of Queen Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting.
"What exactly is a lady-in-waiting?" Freedman asked.
"I have some grasp of it but need to do a Google search."
Google led ABC7 to Wikipedia: "A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending to a royal woman or high ranking noblewoman," we read.
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"Who, exactly is the Queen of England?" Freedman asked young Maggie.
"Um, she lives in a castle and has jewels," Maggie said.
Call it a simple explanation from someone still living in that simple world, though now, it's much broader, thanks to the Queen.
"I just appreciate that someone took the time to let a child from another country know that they're important," said Casey.
It was a thoughtful gesture that leaves her daughter feeling empowered and heard at 5-years-old.
And all from a jewel of a letter.
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