When Queen Elizabeth Wrote a Secret Letter to Australia With Strict Instructions to Be Opened in 2085

In Sydney, Australia, a letter from Queen Elizabeth II lies sealed and hidden. The late monarch penned the mysterious missive and addressed it to the people of the city. The twist is that they'll have to wait until 2085 to read it. The letter sits in a glass case in the historic Queen Victoria building. The grand structure, built in 1898, was almost torn down in the 1950s. But it got a new lease on life when it was restored in 1986. That's when the Queen wrote her secret message.

Nobody knows what's in the letter. Even her closest staff at the time were kept in the dark. The letter comes with strict instructions— "On a suitable day to be selected by you in the year 2085 AD, would you please open this envelope and convey to the citizens of Sydney my message to them," the Queen directed, as per Cosmopolitan. Why 2085? That year marks the end of a 99-year lease on the building. Perhaps the Queen's message relates to the building's future, or maybe it contains reflections on her long reign. We can only guess.

The Queen visited Australia 16 times during her 70-year reign. She was beloved by many Australians. Her first trip in 1954 drew massive crowds. An estimated 7 million people, or 70% of the population at the time, came out to see the 27-year-old queen during the long tour. Kate Crawford, who was a primary school student at the time, recalled "standing in the scorching heat for hours" waiting to see the Queen. The Muswellbrook Chronicle too described the atmosphere as an "unofficial holiday."

Later visits were smaller affairs. Australia's relationship with the monarchy has changed over time. The bond of the Queen remained popular as actor Hugh Jackman said in 2011, "Even the republicans, the ones in Australia who want to see Australia move on, still have great respect and love for the Queen. I've never heard anyone say different," as per The Guardian.

The Queen's final visit to Australia was in 2011. She was 80 at the time. Thereafter, she avoided trips abroad due to her age, but her bond with Australia remained strong. She was the patroness of 27 Australian organizations. After the Queen's passing, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that Australia and the rest of the world had lost a "wise and enduring presence."

On the Queen's platinum jubilee, Albanese stated that Australia held her “in respect and affection” and quipped that his own birth may have been delayed by his mother’s determination to see the monarch on her 1963 tour. Interestingly, even King Charles III, attended two terms at an Australian boarding school, the Timbertop program at Geelong Grammar.