Her Majesty The Queen invites children and Roald Dahl Nurses to Clarence House

Her Majesty The Queen hosted a magical Christmas event at Clarence House on Thursday 12th December. Five children and their Roald Dahl Nurses were invited by Her Majesty The Queen, to decorate a Christmas tree as part of an afternoon of special surprises at Clarence House.

Masie (5), Lenny (5), Chloe (9), Freya (3), and Sadie (9) were delighted to attend the very special festive gathering with their Roald Dahl Nurses and parents. The visit was arranged through Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, of which Her Majesty The Queen is the Royal Patron.

The children, all living with complex, lifelong health conditions, enjoyed a surprise visit from Father Christmas and were treated to a Christmas performance by the Band and Bugles of the Rifles before joining The Queen for a very special lunch. The charity's annual visit to Clarence House is an absolute highlight of the year, and such a special memory for everyone involved. Louise Griew, Chief Executive at Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity says, “We are so grateful to Her Majesty The Queen for inviting our charity to be part of such a magical event again this year - it really does kick start Christmas for all of us and ensure marvellous memories are made by all the families. Being diagnosed with a serious and complex illness is immensely difficult for a child and their whole family, bringing significant stress and worry. Thanks to the vital specialist care and support from our Roald Dahl Nurses thousands of seriously ill children and their families across the UK will not face their challenges alone.”

Masie, attended the special event with her mum Holly and Roald Dahl Nurse Teresa. Holly, Masie's Mum said: “We are so excited to be invited to Clarence House. I can’t think of two people more deserving of this visit than Teresa and Maisie and to be with them both on this day was amazing. “Maisie’s life - our family life - is different because of our Roald Dahl Nurse Teresa,” says Holly. “She is so hard working, so caring, and so genuine and has taken us from a place where we felt lost and overwhelmed, to a place where we feel we have an expert friend in our corner.” Sadie attended with her mum Lucy and Roald Dahl Nurse Grace. Lucy, Sadie's mum said: “Every time we go to London it is to go to hospital, so we can’t tell you how excited we are to be doing this together. It was the greatest surprise when Grace told us we’d been invited.” “Now we have Grace I can just focus on being Sadie’s mum, and know I have an expert in our corner. Someone who knows Sadie so well and what will help her. And Sadie loves and trusts Grace and sees the difference she is making to us all. And that makes her happy.”

Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity provides specialist nurses and support for seriously ill children across the UK. Today, there are over 150 Roald Dahl Nurses supporting more than 36,000 seriously ill children. Thousands of children with complex health conditions still don’t receive this specialist support, and the charity is working to establish more Roald Dahl Nurses to meet a growing need across the UK. Find out more here.