Her Majesty, 95, was asked to accept the award by the British magazine of the same name, The Oldie, but graciously declined, saying that “you are only as old as you feel.”Gyles Brandreth, chairman of the awards, had written the monarch’s private secretary Sir Edward Young outlining the honour.However, in a letter on Balmoral letterhead published in the magazine’s November issue, her assistant private secretary Tom Laing-Baker penned in response: “Her Majesty believes you are as old as you feel, as such The Queen does not believe she meets the relevant criteria to be able to accept and hopes you will find a more worthy recipient.”The Oldie Magazine has held The Oldie of the Year Awards ceremony over the past three decades to celebrate the achievement of those who have made a special contribution to public life. Previous winners have varied from Oscar winners to community care nurses, including Sir John Major, Dame Olivia de Havilland and David Hockney.Last year’s honour went to singer and composer Petula Clark, 88, whose professional career began during the Second World War as a child entertainer.While the Queen wasn’t in attendance at this year’s ceremony — one member of the royal family did front up for the event.The Duchess of Cornwall, 74-year-old Camilla Parker Bowles, presented the awards to this year’s winners who included Delia Smith, Bob Harris, Barry Humphries, Margaret Seaman, Roger McGough, Dr Saroj Datta, Dr Mridul Kumar Datta and Sir Geoff Hurst.The epic Oldie rejection letter comes as sources have confirmed the Queen has decided to stop drinking alcohol ahead of her Platinum Jubilee next year, including her favourite cocktail.Her husband, Prince Philip, was reported to have mixed her a dry gin martini each evening.The Queen was also a big fan of a zaza cocktail – otherwise known as a gin and Dubonnet. It’s made up of two parts Dubonnet (a wine-based aperitif) to one part gin, with ice and a slice of lemon.But she will now drink just sparkling water or tomato juice, with a royal source saying: “It was a personal decision.”Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine said: “She has never been a heavy drinker as she just had the odd cocktail.“She is a creature of habit but I don’t think she will miss it. It is a sensible decision.”
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