HM King Charles pens thank you letter to women behind bars of Polmont YOI

The newly crowned monarch took time out of his busy schedule to write the short note to the inmates who sent him kind words of condolence following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth in September.

A book of condolences was set up after the Queen died and dozens of messages were written inside before it was sent to Buckingham Palace.

Earlier this month, the prison received a card in the post from the King, saying he found their words “enormously comforting”.

He wrote: “It was so very kind of you to send me such a wonderful generous message following the death of my beloved mother. Your most thoughtful words are enormously comforting, and I cannot tell you how deeply they are appreciated at this time of sorrow.”

The book had been set up by Iona McLay, a first line manager in Blair House, at Polmont YOI.

She said: “A lot of the women in our care were deeply saddened by the death of the Queen, and wanted to find a way to pay their respects. We set up a book of

condolences and many of them wrote heartfelt messages of sympathy for the King and the rest of the Royal Family.

“We sent the book to Buckingham Palace and thought no more about it – we certainly didn’t expect to hear back. Everyone was stunned to receive the card signed by

the King himself, with such a moving message inside. Our women were very touched that he took the time to write to us.”

One of the women who had written messages in the book said she could not believe it when they opened the envelope and saw the signature.

She added: “I wanted to do something following the passing of the Queen as I have followed the Royal Family all my days, and I have always felt inspired by the Queen.

“By doing something in here it brought us all together and feel connected through a shared loss. The condolence book let me and other prisoners show our respect for the Royal family and the sadness for their loss.”