Queen Elizabeth Has a Secret Letter to Australia That’s Not Meant to Be Opened Until 2085
In a secret vault in Sydney’s historic Queen Victoria Building, there is a secret letter penned by the late Queen Elizabeth II, encased in a glass envelope, and is not meant to be opened for 63 years or until 2085. The letter, written in 1986 during the queen’s state visit to Australia, has a cover with the instructions:
“Greetings. On a suitable day to be selected by you in the year 2085 A.D. would you please open this envelope and convey to the citizens of SYDNEY my message to them.”
Even the queen’s closest aides do not know what Elizabeth wrote in her letter to the mayor of Sydney.
Queen Elizabeth’s Secret Letter to Australia
The secret letter by Queen Elizabeth is addressed to “Right and Honourable Lord Mayor of Sydney, Australia.” The letter is hidden away inside a vault in the Queen Victoria Building or QVB. Currently, the heritage site at the heart of Sydney serves as a shopping mall with five floors. The vault and the letter are housed on the top level near the dome where it is displayed.
The Queen Victoria Building was built in 1898, and has become a symbol of Australia’s resilience, culture, and progress. Currently, the building is on a 99-year lease by Ipoh, Ltd., a Malaysian company that was bought by the Government Investment Corporation of Singapore.
The Queen Victoria Building or QVB in Sydney, Australia
The 1986 Royal Visit
The queen’s visit to Australia was officially titled, “Royal Visit to Australia by Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.” The official trip was held from March 5 to March 13,1986. Except for the secret letter sealed until 2085, the trip was composed of a series of unremarkable ceremonial events. Queen Elizabeth spent two days in Sydney, where she dined with ministers and inspected some gardens.
Below is her two-day itinerary in Sydney in 1986, digitally preserved by the Australian government.
ALVIN Q. ROSETE 