North Dakota woman who exchanged birthday cards with Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96

Sep. 29—PARK RIVER, N.D. — A northeast North Dakota lady who

spent greater than six a long time

as pen buddies with the late Queen Elizabeth II has died.

Adele Hankey, of Park River, North Dakota, died this week. She was 96.

Hankey was born on the very same day because the Queen — April 21, 1926.

Hankey had obtained a birthday card from Queen Elizabeth II yearly since 1952. She obtained her first card after sending her one to congratulate her on changing into reigning monarch and to want her completely happy birthday, the Herald reported in 2020. The pair additionally exchanged pictures all through the years.

When Queen Elizabeth

died earlier this month

, Hankey informed WDAY that she was going to overlook the letters.

“Pen pal, that is what I name her, and I’m going to overlook that,” Hankey stated earlier this month. “She turned queen in 1952, and I wrote her and congratulated her, and she or he despatched again a birthday card, so I despatched her one, and it has been going like that since.”

And the 2 additionally exchanged notes about their shared love of a fruit unfold.

“I favored the jelly she placed on bread as a result of it was the identical as mine,” Hankey informed WDAY earlier this month. “It was orange marmalade, and she or he had written that again in one in every of her playing cards.”

Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8. A doc revealed by the Nationwide Data of Scotland on Thursday, Sept. 29 listed the queen’s reason for demise as ‘previous age.’ She was 96.

Hankey had been hospitalized in Grand Forks previous to her demise and funeral preparations are pending, WDAY experiences.