The Queen has penned a secret note and hidden it in a vault – but it can’t be opened for 63 years

The Queen has left us with a mysterious gift

Well, it's mainly for the citizens in Australia. A handwritten message by the late monarch Queen Elizabeth II has been place in a vault, while addressed to the 'citizens of Sydney'. It lies hidden inside one of the city's most iconic buildings – but it won't be read for another 63 years. The Queen Victoria Building in Sydney's CBD, holds a time capsule with a secretive letter from Her Majesty with strict instructions not to be opened until 2085. The note, written in in November, 1986 during major restoration works to the building, is so secret not even her personal staff know what she wrote. The letter sits framed inside a glass case in the restricted dome area in the top of the QVB with only Her Majesty's instructions visible. The letter is addressed to the 'Right and Honourable Lord Mayor of Sydney, Australia'. The sign reads: "Greetings. On a suitable day to be selected by [caption id="attachment_358169" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Queen writing a letter (Picture: Getty Images)[/caption] you in the year 2085 A.D. would you please open this envelope and convey to the citizens of SYDNEY my message to them,' the letter reads which is then signed by the Queen." The Queen reigned as monarch in Australia until her death on Thursday, aged 96.  As Britain mourns Elizabeth II ahead of her funeral on September 19, some people from her former colonies have focused on the destruction the British empire brought upon large swathes of the world. Around the time Elizabeth II was born, the British empire ruled over 412 million people – about one-fourth of the world’s population - and historians suggest that British colonisation was riddled with abuse, inequalities, racism, violence and extreme drain of wealth. While the late Queen was not alive during the height of it, she had been accused of turning a blind eye. Related links:

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