‘You are as old as you feel’: The Queen turns down ‘Oldie of the Year award’ with brilliant letter

The monarch says she does not meet the criteria of the award

The Queen says you are only ‘as old as you feel' (Getty Images)

The Queen has turned down an annual award honouring the “Oldie of the Year” because she believes “you are as old as you feel”.

The awards – hosted every year by The Oldie, a magazine targeted at the elderly – celebrate the lifetime achievements of notable “old” people with past recipients including Mary Berry and Amanda Barrie.

In a letter addressed to the magazine, The Queen’s secretary said: “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.”

A photograph of the letter has been included in the magazine’s latest issue, as shared on Twitter by journalist Richard Palmer.

The letter has been met with praise from fans of the royal, with one person describing her as “the Queen of Sass”.

“Our monarch says little in public, but when she does say something; it’s worth listening to!” another person wrote.

A third person commented: “I love this! Damn right, Your [Majesty]! Age is nothing but a number!”

While the Queen declined the award, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, was present at the ceremony.

The Queen, who was born in 1926, celebrated her 95^th birthday in April this year. Next year will mark her 70^th year as monarch, the longest reign in British history.

Earlier this month, the Queen formally opened the new session of the Scottish Parliament.

In a speech at Holyrood in Edinburgh, she spoke about her “happy memories” in Scotland with the Duke of Edinburgh, who died aged 99 on 9 April.

“I have spoken before of my deep and abiding affection for this wonderful country and of the many happy memories Prince Philip and I always held of our time here,” she said.

“It is often said that it is the people that make a place. And there are few places where this is truer than in Scotland.

“We all know of the difficult circumstances that many people have encountered during the last 18 months.

“However, alongside this have been countless examples of resilience and goodwill,” she added.