Islington: Man gets citizenship letter from late Queen in error

Michał Juryniec received his naturalisation certificate at a ceremony in Islington on Monday

A man has been issued a citizenship document in error "on behalf of" Queen Elizabeth II and addressed from previous home secretary Priti Patel at a north London ceremony.

It was given to Michał Juryniec at Islington town hall on Monday, 13 months after the Queen died.

Ms Patel left office in September 2022.

The council, which organised the event, said it updated packs with the "latest information" but "on this occasion, an old pack was given out by mistake".

The Home Office said it was working with Islington Council to "rectify" the issuing of out-of-date material.

The letter, which features an image of Ms Patel, states: "Her Majesty The Queen has asked me to welcome you on behalf of Herself, the British Government and your fellow British citizens into our national community."

At the ceremony, Mr Juryniec's was presented with his naturalisation certificate by Islington's mayor.

The council says the letter was given out in error

Mr Juryniec said it was the culmination of a long and "tedious" bureaucratic process, both in terms of getting his British citizenship and then booking the ceremony itself.

The Polish-British dual national told BBC News he received an envelope with three pieces of paper at the ceremony and it was not until he got to his home in Brent that he read the letter, addressed incorrectly from the former home secretary.

"The letter itself, as embarrassing as it is, has just been the pinnacle of a process that for many people, including myself, is the result of important decisions made with regards to the application for citizenship and links with the country and community here in the UK," he said.

Mr Juryniec said he felt "disappointed" about the letter and the overall process.

'Significant occasion'

"The fact is, it literally takes three small changes to update this and they can't even get that right. It's pretty embarrassing," he added.

Mr Juryniec said it was an emotional and "significant occasion" for him to get his citizenship.

The council said it had "offered to send a replacement pack to put this right".

It added: "We have also double checked the welcome packs that will be used in future ceremonies to make sure that this doesn't happen again."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We regularly update citizenship ceremony materials in accordance with ministerial changes.

"We are aware an error was made in providing the older materials by the local authority, and we are in touch with them to rectify this."

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