From Beatrix

Hi all,

After pulling of that stupid April fool’s joke, we decided to send your letters to the Queen anyway. And on Monday, we received a letter from the Queen’s office! Here is what it says:

Dear madam,

Thank you for your kind letter with attachments to Her Majesty the Queen.

In your letter you inform the Queen about your creative April fool’s joke, with which you led American students to believe that they could have an audience with the Queen. It is particularly nice of you that you sent their sympathetic recommendation letters to the Queen anyway!

Regarding your request to the Queen to meet the students in person I have to disappoint you. As you probably understand it is, because of numerous comparable requests and limited time in the Queens calendar, not possible to fulfill your request. One exception would be too big of a precedent with respect to all citizens in- and outside the Netherlands, of whom we had to deny a comparable request.

Perhaps it is comforting to know for the students that their letters have been inside of the walls of the Palace…!

Yours sincerely,
AM Leendertse-Venekamp
Private secretary to Her Majesty the Queen