Lloyd Badcock: Farmer glad to receive 100th birthday card from Queen Elizabeth II as he 'didn't want one from Charles'
DEVONPORT, TASMANIA: A 99-year-old man from Australia was thrilled to receive his 100th birthday card from Queen Elizabeth II that had been dispatched while she was still alive, several weeks before his birthday. Lloyd Badcock, who is a Tasmanian farmer, had apprehensions and thought he had lost the opportunity of receiving the card from the Queen when he heard of her death on September 8.
Badcock was happy the letter was from the Queen and not her successor, as per Daily Mail. "I didn't really want a card from Charles," he said, grateful to be among the last ones to have the honor of receiving the letter from the Queen during her lifespan. He will be celebrating his birthday later this month and received the congratulatory card a few weeks before his birthday.
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Upon hearing the news of Her Majesty, the Queen's passing, Badcock had lost hope of receiving a congratulatory letter from Britain's longest-reigning monarch. A Facebook post shared by his daughter reads, "Dad turns 100 on 25th September. His only wish was to receive a card from the Queen. He definitely didn’t want one from Charles. And now just look what arrived today in the mail. It appears the Queen understood Dad’s wish and fulfilled it before she passed away. RIP dear Queen Elizabeth and happy 100th birthday Dad."
The 99-year-old has been with his wife Barbara for 75 years. She turns 95 on September 24. The couple reside at their home in Devonport, on Tasmania's north coast. They sustain themselves by engaging in farm activities in Forth.
Badcock's birthday is merely one day after his wife's. Hitting the century mark on September 25, 2022, he was certain there was no way his birthday letter would be from the Queen, who sadly passed away on September 8. Following her death, her oldest son, Prince Charles was appointed as the next monarch, King Charles III.
Speaking to Mercury, the man said, "I was very sad to hear the news that the Queen had died but very happy when the card from her arrived earlier than I expected and on this significant day," adding, "I feel very privileged." Post the death of the 96-year-old Queen, all future centenarians will now be receiving a birthday letter from the King.
Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Her funeral is scheduled to be held on September 19 at the Westminster Abbey, after her coffin is transported to London on September 13. Meanwhile, a deluge of mourners have lined up and laid out floral tributes at the Windsor Castle in memory of the late Queen.