The woman who made King Charles laugh with a witty card of a dog in a cone has been revealed as a monarchy-loving mother from Lancashire – who says she sent the card to give him a ‘much needed boost’.
Lisa Moffat, 53, was left dumbstruck by videos and photographs of the King chuckling at the £9.99 ‘giant’ get well card she ordered from Moonpig, depicting a sorry-looking dog remarking: ‘At least you don’t have to wear a cone’.
The design, inspired by the canine character Dug from Disney-Pixar film Up, was illustrated by Lisa Stalker, of Yorkshire company Pigment; Mrs Moffat said she chose the design because the King ‘has a sense of humour’.
The Preston mother-of-two – to children Harry, 13, and Felicity, 11 – said: ‘I thought he needed a boost and a laugh – he has a sense of humour, he’s quite a funny guy.’
She told she regularly sends the royal family cards to mark big occasions such as the Coronation, birthdays and weddings – but had never seen one in the hands of their intended recipient until now.
King Charles pictured with Lisa Moffat’s giant Moonpig card – featuring his name at the top and a picture of a dog lamenting: ‘At least you don’t have to wear a cone!’ underneath
Mrs Moffat – pictured with farmer husband Alex and children Harry, 13, and Felicity, 11 – said she couldn’t believe the King was so taken with her card
The card was ordered on Moonpig to be sent directly to King Charles at Buckingham Palace
Mrs Moffat ordered the card just after receiving one of her own from the King – thanking her for her Christmas greeting last year
His Majesty appeared in good spirits as he read correspondence from the public – including Mrs Moffat’s standout choice
Mrs Moffat ordered the enormous card days after receiving one of her own from the King, thanking her for sending a message wishing him a Merry Christmas.
The enormous card measured 205 x 290mm, and is the biggest size Moonpig offers – almost certainly guaranteeing that it would stand out amongst those sent in by well-wishers.
She used Moonpig’s customisation features to personalise the card – writing ‘King Charles’ along the top and inserting a photograph of her family inside so he could see what his well-wishers looked like.
But BSI auditor Mrs Moffat was astounded to see images and videos of Charles holding the get well message, surrounded by scores of others, at Buckingham Palace, after they were released by the palace on Friday night.
Mrs Moffat, who is married to husband Alex, said: ‘I was so surprised to see him with it – so shocked.
‘I ran up to the kids and my husband and said: “Guess what’s on the news – King Charles is holding our card!”.
‘I put a picture of ourselves in the middle of the card, and a message saying we were thinking about him, sending him lots of love, and hoping he gets well soon, really.
‘I was blown away by how many people had sent cards. I couldn’t believe it.
‘I sent a giant one though. I always send giant ones. I have a friend in Norwich who says she always knows when my cards are coming.’
The card, one of more than 7,000 sent to the King since he announced his diagnosis earlier this month, is said by aides to have ‘provoked much royal mirth’.
A video shared on the royal family’s social media channels showed huge Royal Mail sacks brimming with cards being delivered and opened before being added to one of the King’s daily red boxes.
Mrs Moffat added that she had sent the royal family cards for years – with Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William and Catherine and Prince Harry and Meghan among the recipients of her postal messages.
‘I always send them cards: Christmas cards – which he actually just replied to; the Queen, when she was alive, I would send her cards for the Jubilees; we always celebrate royal events. I have sent a get well card to Catherine as well.
‘My mother and I are total royalists. I just think it’s important to celebrate them.’
Charles has taken a step back from frontline duties following his diagnosis with the disease, which was discovered while he was undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate.
The form of cancer has not been specified, but aides say it is not of the prostate; the King ‘continues to undertake state business and official paperwork as usual’ while undergoing a schedule of treatments.
He chose to share his diagnosis ‘in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer,’ the palace said.
Mrs Moffat said: ‘It’s awful what Charles is going through – especially when living in public, when people normally go through this in private.’
And asked what she would say to Charles personally if she could, she added: ‘We’re all rooting for you, we’re all wishing you well and hope you manage whatever treatment you’re going through works well.’
Charles has been moved to tears by some of the correspondence. Pictured: The King holding a card sent in by a well wisher
One message read ‘Your Majesty King Charles III we are praying for you to have a steady recovery’
One person wrote they were ‘sorry to hear you are not feeling well at the moment I am wishing you a speedy recovery. Get well soon!’
Another letter gave the King some words of advice, including ‘never give up, be brave, don’t push your limits’
Many of the messages included in the surprise delivery to Charles included similar warm wishes.
One read: ‘I wanted to tell you I am thinking of you as you face your own diagnosis and treatment and send prayers and every good wish for a speedy recovery.’
Another read: ‘Chin up, chest out, remain positive and don’t let it get you down.’
A senior royal aide said: ‘They have been a source of frequent laughter and good cheer.’
As ever, where postal addresses have been provided in correspondence to is Majesty, a response of thanks will be sent by Buckingham Palace.
Five days after the announcement of his diagnosis, the King issued a message of gratitude to those who had sent him good wishes.
He said: ‘I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days.
‘As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement.
‘It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a light on the work of all those organisations which support cancer patients and their families across the UK and wider world.
‘My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication is all the greater as a result of my own personal experience.’
Illustrator’s delight at ‘surreal’ image of King enjoying her dog design
By Natasha Livingstone, Royal Correspondent
It was the card that cheered up the King with its irreverent wit and charming illustration.
But the royal seal of approval was a much-welcomed surprise for its creators, a small company called Pigment based in a converted stable block in Yorkshire.
None of its 45 employees were prepared for the flurry of excitement at 10pm on Friday when Buckingham Palace released footage of the King opening letters sent from well-wishers following his cancer diagnosis.
The images showed His Majesty chuckling at one particular card, which featured a dog wearing a veterinary collar and the cheeky words ‘At least you don’t have to wear a cone!’.
Said by royal aides to have ‘provoked much royal mirth’, it was printed on front pages the following day – much to the delight of designer Lisa Stalker, who illustrated the cover.
Martin Powderly, creative director of greetings card agency Pigment, next to managing director Lynsey Burbidge (middle) and co-founder Stephen Baker (right)
The offices of greetings card firm Pigment in Yorkshire, which created the ‘at least you don’t have to wear a cone!’ card
‘It’s a bit surreal to be honest,’ she told the Mail on Sunday, adding that her husband had bought several newspapers to ‘savour’ the moment.
‘I didn’t know about it until the pictures appeared on the news. Then loads of text messages came flooding in. I still get excited when I see my card designs in a shop, so you can imagine I never expected this.’
Pigment was founded 25 years ago and is based in a studio on a cobbled mews in the picturesque town of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, 225 miles away from the gilded Belgian Suite at Buckingham Palace where the King opened the card.
The hand-drawn design was inspired by the Disney film ‘Up’, which features a cartoon golden retriever called ‘Dug’ who wears the ‘cone of shame’.
‘I’m really delighted that His Majesty enjoyed it. That card is meant to make people smile and it’s clearly succeeded,’ said Lisa.
Martin Powderly, Pigment’s creative director, said the card was part of a collection sold by the British online firm Moonpig.
‘Sending greeting cards is such a wonderful tradition and it’s lovely that someone has personalised this for King Charles.
‘I had no idea he was going to get this card until my phone started pinging on Friday night. It was a really happy surprise. Hopefully King Charles’s health will improve quickly.’