Wanessa Bąkowska has always been fascinated by the Royals. Anything related to the royal family draws her attention. Last September, the Polish 12-year-old  decided to make a painting and write a short letter to Queen Elizabeth II. 

Wanessa comes from Lipka and is in the 6th grade. Last September, she wrote a letter – in English – to the queen in which she introduces herself as well as her relatives to the monarch. In her letter, the teenage girl writes about her admiration for her teachers and emphasises how much she loves her family and friends. 

“Your Majesty, my name is Wanessa, and I am 12 years old. I live in Poland, in the small town of Lipka […] I am a person with a disability and Down Syndrome. Nevertheless, I paint pictures. I would like to give you one of them, Your Majesty. The title of this painting is ‘Earth’. Greetings from Poland.”

In a Facebook post that followed, Wanessa explains her approach as follows:  “I like breaking stereotypes and I like to pretend to myself that the impossible doesn’t exist… Although in real life I will not have such an opportunity, I visited the royal court through a letter I wrote to Queen Elizabeth… Beloved dreams are there to make them come true, even if they seem unreal.

“The Queen wishes me to write thank you for your letter, pretty photograph, and splendid oil on canvas painting you sent as a gift for Your Majesty” – reads the official answer sent as a response by an assistant of the British monarch. 

 “We didn’t expect an answer” – Wanessa’s mom, Karolina told Fakt. “Regardless of whether the lady of the court responded to it on behalf of the queen, or someone else, it was a huge surprise for us, and above all for Wanessa.”

 Pictures of the official reply have been posted on Wanessa’s Facebook page with the words: “Dreams are made to be fulfilled. Today I got a reply to my letter from Queen Elizabeth.”

Wanessa’s passion for painting seems destined for success. Last year, one of her paintings was even shown in the National Theatre in Warsaw.

Images: Wanessa’s Facebook

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen