Queen Elizbeth’s Special Connection With ND For Over 70 Years

One can be sure that there is a North Dakota native in our midst that has made sure to clear any schedules in order to watch the live coverage on September 19th, 2022 of Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral.

Meet Park River, North Dakota native - Adel Hankey. This woman has quite a special connection with the royal, and it spans over 70 years. As the world mourns, she will watch as her longtime pen pal is laid to rest.

The story of being a "Pen Pal" is not actually all that ties these two women together.

As luck may have it, these two women living thousands of miles apart happened to share some very special dates...

Both Adel Hankey and Queen Elizabeth both shared the same birthday, in fact, the very exact birthday! The ladies were both born on April 21, 1926, making them both 96.

After Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1952, Adel Hankey wrote and congratulated her majesty. In response, Adel received a back a birthday card from Queen Elizabeth II. In traditional "North Dakota Nice" manners, Adel sent the Queen a birthday card and the two began a tradition spanning 70 years of correspondence on their shared birthdays.

The cards have all been saved over the seven decades and even show how the two shared a love for the fruit spread orange marmalade...

And another wonderful true story of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in British history.