Fareham couple who received cards from the Queen say she was 'fantastic'

John and Ivy Winn, from St Anne’s Grove Fareham, have been married for 72 years and received messages from The Queen on their diamond, blue sapphire, platinum and then 71st and 72nd anniversaries.

The couple are committed royalists and were shocked at the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. She died on September 8 at Balmoral.

The delivery of the wedding anniversary messages is a continuing tradition which goes back to 1917, managed by the anniversaries office at Buckingham Palace.

When asked what The Queen meant to her Ivy, 92 said: "She was fantastic, she was for the people, a very happy person in her life even in her younger years.

"I love royalty and my children know that. On my last birthday, my granddaughter brought a little crown in and I’ve got it in front of The Queen on my clock. My son brought me a cake with a tiara on.

‘"We managed to go up to London when Diana died and my husband took me and my two sisters to go and see the flowers, I’ve never seen anything like it.

"I’ve never moved out of Fareham. I was born here and I’ve lived here my entire life.’

John, 91, added: "I was in the Royal Marines Band from 1949 to 1953 and I happened to play for royalty – The Queen then would have been young but I actually played for her.

"I mixed with the royalty quite a bit in the Royal Marines, we played several functions in London and we did a march down The Mall.

"She’s wonderful, the radiant smile she had every day, it captivated everyone in England, Scotland, Wales or even the whole world."

The Anniversaries Office has said it is not currently sending congratulatory messages in the wake of the Queen’s death, while submitted applications are not being currently processed.

A statement on the Royal Family website said: ‘If you have already made an online or postal application to the Anniversaries Office, it will be processed when operations resume, and you will receive confirmation that a message has been arranged.’