Pekka Granqvist has met Queen Elizabeth and the late Queen aunt three times – and has been in correspondence with various British royalty for decades.
Hämeenlinna resident Pekka Granqvistin interest in the British royals arose in 1980 when the queen Elizabeth he was impressed by his late mother. Granqvist himself was 18 at the time.
– That’s when my queen turned 80, and I was amazed at how energetic and eager she was at that age. I remember wondering how such a “grandma” did so much of everything: represented, celebrated and enjoyed life, Granqvist recalls with a laugh.
Pekka Granqvist now has a large collection of material related to her queen at home. PHOTOGRAPHER MINNA JALOVAARA, Minna Jalovaara
In 1992, Granqvist sent his first letter to the Queen. Over the years, interest grew into a hobby that has led to active correspondence with several British royalty.
First encounter
In 1999, an acquaintance of Granqvist invited her to London to attend the Queen’s Birthday Party. Granqvist got excited and traveled to the spot.
– My acquaintance was familiar to the royal family, as he always wore a cap in the color of the English flag, which made it easy to identify him from the crowd. I thought I’d go with him to watch the festivities and we’ll get to blink at the queen a mile away, Granqvist recalls.
The duo arrived early in front of Sandringham Manor on the eve of their birthday to wait for the party to arrive. When the Queen’s mother arrived, Granqvist was really surprised: an acquaintance’s cap caught the attention of the royalty and they stepped in to greet the duo after the feast.
Pekka Granqvist’s interest in British royalty arose when he was 18 years old. Minna Jalovaara
– My acquaintance then introduced me to it as his “friend from Finland”. Then the queen moved in with me, and I said to her myself, “Your Majesty, my best greetings and congratulations from Finland,” and handed her a bouquet of flowers.
Surprisingly, Granqvist also heard the queen’s famous humor at the first encounter.
– He said in a simple way that he had never been to Finland, but I don’t know if I will come one day. It reflected such a joke typical of the British, when he turned 99, so many might have thought that he would never travel to Finland again.
Pictured is a photo taken by Peka herself from the Queen’s 101st anniversary celebrations. Minna Jalovaara
Charming Elizabeth
Surprisingly, the current emperor of Britain, Queen Elizabeth, also followed the queen towards Granqvist and her acquaintance. At the time, Elizabeth had portrayed herself in public in a more dilute way than her mother, which changed in Granqvist’s mind completely with the first encounter.
– I hadn’t been a fan of Elizabeth before, when she wasn’t socially similar to her mother, but rather she was considered a bit reserved for the people. I was completely surprised when he then stepped in front of us with a happy smile.
And in any case, Elizabeth politely extended her hand to Granqvist as well.
– I still remember very well how the hand with the white glove stretched out towards me. I shook his hand, bowed and said, “Your Majesty”. He then asked if I had come to Britain from Finland just because of his mother’s birthday and said it was very kind to me.
In the middle, Pekka himself took a picture of Queen Elisabeth from the moment the duo was just shaking hands. Minna Jalovaara
After a brief discussion, Granqvist also handed Elizabeth a bouquet of flowers.
– Then he wondered how he would get flowers, even if it was his mother’s birthday. I said this is such a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and that is why I have reserved flowers for her too! The queen received the flowers with a happy smile.
Then Elizabeth turned her back. Granqvist was the last person he talked to before he left to wait for his mother on the steps of the church.
– And that whole situation completely changed my perception of Elizabeth. She was smiling, endearing, happy and surprised in every way when I told her that I had come here from Finland.
Correspondence
When Granqvist returned home from the trip, he sent Elizabeth pictures of the queen’s birthday, which she had taken herself.
– After that, I received the first letter of reply from Elizabeth. That’s where the correspondence with him started, and in practice it has meant that I have sent letters for his birthday, in the summer in the form of a summer holiday greeting letter, and a Christmas greeting at Christmas. Sometimes four letters are sent every year if there have been, for example, weddings or other larger celebrations in the court.
In all, Granqvist has received 205 letters from the court over the decades. He has all the letters in his home.
Pekka Granqvist’s collections also include a letter written by the late Princess Diana. Minna Jalovaara
– When my queen died in 2002, I sent my condolences to Elizabeth, and I was sure there would be so much mail that I would never get an answer. In the end, it took seven months, and a thank-you note came in October, deploring the fact that they were so busy answering because of the large volume of mail.
– I personally thought that I would have had no reason to assume that the reply letter would have arrived the very next week. Brittihov’s operations have been really sophisticated all these decades, great PR!
Elisabeth’s reply letters are written by her courtier, and even today the letters are sent by mail.
– As a rule, the letters were written by either his courtman Susan Hussey or Mary Morrison. I know both of them are close to Elizabeth, and they have been in the service of the Queen since 1960. I don’t know if it’s just a coincidence that these two ladies often sign my letter on behalf of the Queen, it would be nice to find out.