Carrie Johnson today shared a thoughtful note the Queen had left on her pillow while she was staying at Balmoral as she paid tribute to the monarch on the anniversary of her death.
The wife of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth her saying that ‘we were so lucky she was our Queen’.
She shared the Balmoral Castle headed note on Instagram, which read: ‘Ma’am, Her Majesty will be wearing an ice blue cocktail dress for dinner this evening.’
The helpful note shows how considerate the late Queen was, as she gave the PM’s wife a heads up so she could avoid an embarrassing fashion clash.
Thoughtful: The note the late Queen had left on Carrie Johnson’s bed on her trip to Balmoral
Queen Elizabeth II (left) speaks to then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson (centre) and his wife Carrie (right) as she arrives for the G7 summit at the Eden Project, Cornwall, in June 2021
Carrie Johnson (pictured), the wife of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth her saying that ‘we were so lucky she was our Queen’
Mrs Johnson captioned the photo: ‘Kept this note that was left on my pillow when we stayed at Balmoral.
‘How lucky I feel to have got to meet and speak with her a little.’
When asked if the note was to coordinate or avoid wearing the same colour, Mrs Johnson responded: ‘Yes, I think in order to avoid wearing something too similar!’
She also revealed that she has got the note from the Queen framed on an ‘ “ice blue” mount, no less!’
Writing in his Daily Mail column last week, Boris Johnson spoke of his trip to Balmoral with Carrie, and how they found the ‘helpful’ note on the bed on their first evening at the royal retreat.
The ex-PM wrote: ‘I don’t think Carrie had packed anything like an ice-blue cocktail dress, but it was a useful piece of information.’
This comes as a wave of tributes to the late Queen, led by King Charles, came in as the nation marked the first anniversary of her death.
In an unprecedented break with tradition, signifying how touched he has been by the country’s grief at her passing but also pride in a remarkable life of public duty, His Majesty recalled his mother’s ‘long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us’.
Initially Charles, 74, had planned only to mark his mother’s death – and his own grief-tinged accession – in ‘quiet contemplation’ at home in Scotland.
In doing so he would follow the same pattern that Queen Elizabeth chose to adopt for 70 years, marking her father King George VI’s death, at Sandringham in Norfolk, away from public gaze.
But in recent weeks he began to have a change of heart, having been so deeply touched by the global outpouring of grief after his mother died on September 8 last year.
In his message, Charles said: ‘In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty’s death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.
‘I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.’
It was signed Charles R and accompanied by a portrait chosen by the King that has never been released before to the general public. The photograph was taken at Buckingham Palace on October 16, 1968, as part of an official sitting granted to the legendary Cecil Beaton – the last he was to ever undertake with Her late Majesty before he died.
It was shown at the National Portrait Gallery the following month but has not been on public release before now.
The King apparently selected the photograph because of the ‘lovely’ – and slightly mischievous – look in the eyes of his mother, who was 42 at the time.
Carrie Johnson (right; with Boris Johnson, centre) and the Queen, left also revealed she has had the note from the late monarch framed
Charles kisses the hand of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, after she presented him with a Royal Horticultural Society Victoria Medal of Honour in May 2009
The King will spend today and tonight at Balmoral Castle (pictured) where his mother died a year ago
Prince Harry also paid tribute to his grandmother the Queen, saying she is ‘looking down on us all’ and is ‘happy we’re together’ as he returned to the UK for the first time in three months to attend an annual charity awards ceremony on the eve of the first anniversary of her death.
The Duke of Sussex arrived in Britain yesterday morning to attend the WellChild Awards at the Hurlingham Club in London – an event he ‘looks forward to each year’.
‘As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away,’ he told the the audience, referencing how he pulled out of last year’s ceremony following news the queen was seriously ill, and travelled to Balmoral -separately from the rest of the royal family – to attend her deathbed.
His tribute was echoed by that of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said: ‘On the solemn anniversary of the passing of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, our thoughts are with His Majesty King Charles III and the whole Royal Family.
‘With the perspective of a year, the scale of Her late Majesty’s service only seems greater. Her devotion to the nations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth only seems deeper. And our gratitude for such an extraordinary life of duty and dedication only continues to grow.
‘I treasure my memories of those occasions when I met Her late Majesty, in particular the private audience I had with her at Buckingham Palace before presenting my first Budget as Chancellor. I was struck by her wisdom, by her incredible warmth and grace, but also her sharp wit.’
And he spoke for many when he recalled the effect that she had on everyone she met.
‘People across the UK – whether they had the good fortune to meet Her late Majesty or not – will be reflecting today on what she meant to them and the example she set for us all. We will cherish those memories,’ he said.
‘The bond between country and monarch is sacred. It endures. So, while we continue to mourn Her late Majesty’s passing, we should be proud that this remarkable legacy of service – and this remarkable bond – continues to grow today under the reign of His Majesty the King.’
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the long queues through the night to see the late Queen lying in state had shown that she ‘always enjoyed a special bond with her people’.
‘It was a relationship built from her understanding that service of this great nation is the thread that unites sovereign and subject,’ he said.
‘So, as we reflect on her legacy again today, let us embrace that spirit of public service as our guide towards a better future.’
The Archbishop of Canterbury, who led the Queen’s funeral proceedings last year, also paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II saying the monarch ‘gave us hope’.
Speaking of the Queen, Justin Welby said: ‘Today we give thanks that the legacy of Queen Elizabeth, her obedience to God, her sense of duty, her love for her people, lives on.’
He added: ‘Today we remember a King pledged to serve, and a Queen who gave us hope.’
Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales are to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death with a small private service in Wales.
William and Kate will attend St Davids Cathedral in St Davids, the smallest city in Britain, in Pembrokeshire on Friday.
They will also meet members of the local community in the adjacent cloister, including local people who met Elizabeth II during her visits to St Davids.
