Buckingham Palace thanks Midland group for naming swan in honour of the queen

Queen touched by swan namesake Buckingham Palace said Queen Elizabeth was “touched” to have a swan named after her.

Friends of the Wye Marsh recently received a special message from Buckingham Palace after naming a bird in honour of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The group said it adopted the trumpeter swan in the spring and named her Elizabeth "after Her Majesty's 70 years as queen."

It then sent a note to the Queen informing her of her namesake and received a letter in response this week, signed by a lady-in-waiting.

It reads in part, "The Queen was touched to see the photograph of Elizabeth, the splendid Trumpeter Swan you named after Her Majesty to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee milestone."

"Her majesty is most interested to know of your success in having reintroduced this wonderful species to Ontario's wetlands, and your thought for the Queen at this time is greatly appreciated, as are your good wishes," it concluded.

Friends of the Wye Marsh is a not-for-profit organization devoted to wetlands research, education and environmental awareness.