How a secret handwritten letter penned by the Queen lies hidden in a vault – and it can’t be opened for another 63 years

A SECRET letter written by the Queen lies hidden in a vault and can’t be opened for another 63 years.

The handwritten note was penned by Her Majesty to the people of Sydney and lies in one of the city’s historic Queen Victoria Building.

The Queen wrote the letter after the building was restored in November 1986 it but sits inside a glass case inside a restricted area in its dome.

Not even her personal staff know what it contains and all that can be see are the Queen’s instructions about when it should be opened.

After the Queen's passing the nation has now entered a period of mourning that will be observed from Friday until seven days after her funeral.

The letter – which is signed by the Queen - is addressed to the “Right and Honourable Lord Mayor of Sydney, Australia”.

“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,” the letter reads

The QVB building was opened in 1898 and was named in honour of then Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. 

The building was nearly demolished for civic space and car parking in 1959.

The British monarch remains Australia’s head of state and King Charles is represented there by the Governor General.

Republican sentiment continues to bubble under the surface but a 1999 referendum, Australians voted to retain the Queen as their head of state.

Her Majesty visited the country 16 times, with her first visit in 1954, just two years after she ascended the throne.

Other members of the Royal Family have also paid visits Down Under, most recently Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2020.

When the then 27-year-old Queen Elizabeth landed at Sydney airport she became the first reigning monarch to set foot on Australian soil.

According to reports from the time, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh received "the most tumultuous greeting Sydney has ever given any visitor".

Police estimates put the crowd of people lining the city streets at one million.

It comes as… 

• Devastated King Charles and Queen Camilla land back in London ahead of TV address tonight
• Prince Harry returns to Frogmore Cottage after tragically arriving in Scotland too late to say goodbye for Queen’s death
• Liz Truss says ‘God save the King’ to cheers in Commons after touching tribute to ‘devoted’ Queen
• Charles to be proclaimed King tomorrow at Accession Council as ceremony to be televised for the first time in history
• Touching moment grieving King Charles consoled after death of Queen by same airport worker who comforted Prince Harry
• New titles for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children confirmed following Queen’s death
• Charles gets kiss on the cheek as he joins thousands outside Buckingham Palace to chants of ‘God save the King’
• Premier League and EFL call off all weekend’s football following the death of The Queen as sporting world pays respect
• Inside the step-by-step 10-day plan leading to the Queen’s funeral – including gun salute and period of lying in state

The Royal couple returned to Australia in 1963 for Canberra's jubilee celebrations, 50 years on from the naming of the capital.

The Queen was back in Australia in 1970 to help celebrate the bi-centenary of Captain James Cook sailing up the east coast of Australia.

It emerged in 2009 that during the royal couple were the targets of an assassination plot during that 1970 visit.

Former Detective Superintendent Cliff McHardy said the "unsophisticated plan" consisted of placing a large wooden log across railway tracks in a bid to derail the royal train.

The train struck the logs but thankfully remained on the tracks.

More visits to Australia followed in 1973, 1974 and 1977 when Her Majesty helped Australia celebrate significant milestones.

The Queen's final visit was dubbed her "farewell tour" as it was considered likely to be her last visit.