Alliston woman adds letter from King Charles III to impressive list of royal collectables

An Alliston, Ont. woman is adding King Charles III to her list of letters she's received from members of the Royal family over the years.

Susan Sparling has been writing and receiving letters from members of the Royal family for nearly 50 years, a correspondence that began in 1973 after watching the Royal wedding of Princess Anne.

Sparling decided she would write a letter to the princess at the time and congratulate her. Weeks later, she received her first royal response.

"I just thought that they would keep it or throw it away or whatever they do with mail; however, I did get a reply, and I thought, I better keep this," said Sparling.

Soon after, she started writing her letters to the British Royal family, and over the years, she acquired 38 responses from several different members of the family.

"I would write, and my letters would range from everything from complimenting them to asking if they were feeling better, and I got a reply for everything."

While her love for writing letters to the Royal family continues, so does Sparling's passion for collecting Royal memorabilia. She now owns dozens of items, including plates, coins, umbrellas, books and even copies of Royal jewelry.

"It has just stuck with me, and it has grown over the years, and I have run out of room to put things over the years," said Sparling.

While Sparling has spent nearly half a century collecting letters and collectables, she said she's not done yet.

She hopes to continue to write and receive letters from the British Royal family for years to come and plans to one day share her collection with her children.