No 'formal' congrats for royalist

The Queen congratulated the couple - but not "formally"

A Welsh-born royalist was refused a "formal" letter from the Queen on her diamond wedding anniversary because she is not a British citizen.

Welsh speaker Maud Jagusch, 82, was born in Pantymwyn, Flintshire, but moved to Germany 55 years ago and holds a German passport.

She and her husband Herbert celebrated 50 years of marriage last month.

Although not eligible for a formal message, the Queen congratulated the couple in a letter from her office.

It came as a bit of a shock to be told I am not a British citizen. I was born in Wales and two of my sons were born in Wales Maud Jagusch

Buckingham Palace said the Queen sent out 26,500 letters last year to people in the UK and the Commonwealth to congratulate them on 50 years of marriage.

However, when Mrs Jagusch's sister, Elizabeth, wrote to the Palace to request a formal message for the happy couple, she was told it was not possible because they are German citizens.

Although she grew up in Wales, Mrs Jagusch never held a British passport.

She fell in love with former prisoner of war Herbert Jagusch and they moved to Germany 55 years ago, later marrying in Cilcain, Flintshire, on 4 August 1948.

The couple have returned to north Wales more than 100 times, and Mrs Jagusch still has family in the area.

Mr and Mrs Jagusch married in Flintshire in 1948

In a letter to Mrs Jagusch's sister, Buckingham Palace's Anniversaries Officer Joanne Wilson said: "Nevertheless, the Queen was interested to hear of your sister and her husband and has asked that her congratulations be conveyed to Mr and Mrs Jagusch for their recent diamond wedding anniversary."

A Palace spokesman added: "Unfortunately the couple are not eligible for a formal congratulatory message from the Queen, but we hope the letter that was sent from the Queen's office - asking that her congratulations should be conveyed to the couple on their diamond anniversary - had been well received."

Mrs Jagusch, currently on holiday in Wales with her husband, said: "I was born in Pantymwyn.

"It came as a bit of a shock to be told I am not a British citizen. I was born in Wales and two of my sons were born in Wales."

Her husband, who is learning Welsh, said: "I have a Welsh dragon flying in my back garden at home in Huckelhoven and when neighbours ask me what is that, I say 'cau dy geg', [shut up]."