In this modern age of instant communications, The Press is read online all around the world. So we were delighted to receive an email from Violet Magrs, a reader in New Zealand, in which she recalled her days at St Stephen's Orphanage in York - and the disappointment of missing out on seeing the wedding of the Duchess of Kent in 1961.

Here is her story...

"When I was a child I lived in St. Stephen’s Children’s Home; a long white Georgian house with polished floors and pastel walls. It was situated on the edge of the old city of York and is now called the Hotel Du Vin.

Being a favourite charity of the the Worsley’s we often had visits from Lady Worsley with her Yorkshire terrier, Pip, tucked under her arm. They donated pieces of furniture, toys, much needed clothing and a dapple- grey rocking horse which stood in front of the French doors leading out into the gardens.

Lady Worsley’s daughter, Katharine - better known nowadays, as the Duchess of Kent - helped out during a staff shortage. She bathed, played games and read bedtime stories to the children, and soon became a favourite with everyone, because she genuinely cared. She was always smiling and happy to be around. Most of us had come from broken homes, through this we found a unity that bonded us together.

York Press:

The young Violet Brittain (now Magrs)

St Stephen’s home was a shelter in a storm that brought love, laughter and many friendships that compensated for the endless days of waiting to go home, until the days became years, and the desire to leave faded.

It was a noisy, big old Georgian house. The front entrance was very grand, leading to a large hall and a wide central staircase, filled with light from the arched window at the top. At the end of the hall was the playroom. A piano stood in the corner where we would gather and sing to our hearts content in front of the fire. At the top of the stairs to the right was the nursery. To the left were five dormitories. Between each dormitory was a small bedroom for the sisters. The large bathroom was situated near the back stairs.

York Press:

Sports in the garden at St Stephen's, 1958

Every Sunday night was bath night, with three baths filled with squeaky clean children all trying to talk at once, and hot steam rising. The older girls wrapped the wriggling toddlers in bath towels, then put them in clean nighties and carried them off to bed.

There were few days in my childhood where I felt giddy with excitement. But one day while eating breakfast Matron silenced everyone. She said Katharine Worsley was going to marry the Duke of Kent, at York Minster on June 8, 1961. She said as Katharine had never forgotten us, she was inviting all the children to a big party to celebrate. Well… our faces shone with delight.

York Press:

Children in the paddock at St Stephen's, with Violet on the left

We talked about the upcoming Royal Wedding for weeks. It filled my life with a warm glow. Never in my childhood had I had something this big to look forward to. All I’d ever known before entering the home was fear and neglect, due to my father’s drinking problem. And here was me, going to be part of a fairytale wedding!

The week before the wedding a BBC film crew came to film us playing in the garden. It was a beautiful Spring day. My sister Leah and I were filmed on the swings, some children were playing with bats and balls and doing all sorts of acrobatics, until the film crew laughed at their antics. They patiently showed my brother David, and the boys how to use the equipment.

On the day of the wedding I felt the happy atmosphere envelope and comfort me. However, after washing, dressing and lining up for breakfast I was called to Matron's office.

“Come in Violet and sit down. You won’t be going to the wedding celebration with the other children, a lady from Bootham is going to collect you, but you’ll be able to watch it with her family. Now, I want you to be a good girl and I don’t want any fuss or tears, because it’s my decision.”

York Press:

Violet Magrs today, with husband Bob

I was used to disappointments, adults breaking their promises. Hadn’t my parents left me at St Stephen’s years ago, and promised it was for a short time, and I was eleven now? Well, I never cried I held it all inside. I gulped a couple of times to keep the tidal wave of tears from drowning me. She never gave me a reason, and it would have been disrespectful to ask.

After breakfast I waited in the office for the lady to collect me. I had a miserable day. I didn’t know the lady and as much as she tried to cheer me up I couldn’t smile. I was always told I was a good girl so why I was left out of the celebrations was a total mystery to me. As I watched the wedding cars go past I wanted to be with the kids in the home who I regarded as my family, not some total stranger.

I was taken back in the evening when everyone was getting ready for bed. Susan had saved me a piece of cake, and I wanted to cry, because she thought of me. Most of the kids thought that Matron’s decision was unfair and said they missed me. They each showed me a locket they’d been given to celebrate the wedding, and told me about their unforgettable day from seeing the wedding procession go by to having a sumptuous tea party at a café near the Minster. I was soon cheered up by their chatter. I asked what she looked like, and they all chorused: “A Princess. A beautiful Princess.”

York Press:

The wedding of Katharine Worsley and the Duke of Kent

I was hungry for every detail that fell from their lips. Experiencing something so special I knew would live with them forever, just as I knew the disappointment of not being part of the celebrations would live with me forever."

Violet Magrs, née Brittain