The Queen could be adopting the current teenage craze of mobile phone text messaging for highlights of her Christmas address. Buckingham Palace has said it is considering an offer from the UK internet company Genie to use the communications medium after the firm’s chief executive wrote to the Queen offering his company’s service.
“Ma’am, It is with great pleasure that I write to request your Majesty’s involvement in an innovative and imaginative project,” his letter read. “I feel confident it would assist in the royal family’s stated desire to update the perception and image of the monarchy.” He then went on to propose converting the British monarch’s usual Christmas address to her subjects into “a shortened text message format”.
Text messaging is used by millions of mobile phone owners and has even developed its own shorthand language. If she were to go ahead with the scheme, Elizabeth II’s 2002 message could look something like the following: “Xmas Msge from HMQE2: Dear subjx, I wld like 2 wish u a v mry xmas. L%kin frwrd 2 a hapy nu yr. BW 2 u all.”
The Queen became a mobile phone owner earlier in the year after receiving one as a gift from her son Prince Andrew.
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said it was unlikely the royal message could be translated into text form in time for this year’s greeting, but it would consider the offer for next year. The monarch’s address is currently broadcast on television and radio as well as being posted on the internet.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
