JUST two years ago, little Daniela Zheleva could only dream of laying her eyes on Buckingham Palace.
Living in Plovdiv, in Bulgaria, England seemed a million miles away for the schoolgirl. Now Daniela (10), who moved to England in 2004, is preparing to meet the Queen as one of 2,000 lucky youngsters hand-picked to attend a special garden party.Daniela, of Leighton, Orton Malborne, Peterborough, has been invited to the Children's Party at the Palace, on Sunday. She will head to Buckingham Palace with her mum Stanislava and friend Daniel Nikolaev (8) for the picnic and party.Daniela, a pupil at Leighton primary school, Orton Malborne, was chosen from thousands of entrants to the CBBC website, and is still reeling from the shock.She said: "I entered on the website, but I didn't really think that I would get chosen. When the letter came from Buckingham Palace, at first I felt scared because I didn't realise what it was about. Then when I opened it and it said I'd been chosen, I was really happy."The party has the theme of bringing children's literature to life, and Daniela is looking forward to seeing favourite characters from children's books.Characters from Noddy, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Narnia and other classics are expected to join the gathering.
Daniela said: "I'm looking forward to seeing the characters. I hope that there's some from Harry Potter, I really like the books."Daniela has picked out an orange skirt and vest and a white cardigan to wear for the special occasion.She added: "I've seen Buckingham Palace from a distance once when I went on the London Eye, but I'm very excited about going inside. I think the gardens will be really pretty. I think some of my classmates are quite jealous."Proud mum Stanislava said: "This is such a great opportunity for Daniela. We're Bulgarian and have not been here long. So for something like to happen to us is just wonderful."We really like the Royal family and I just think it's such a lovely thing for Daniela to be a part of. She only moved to England two years ago, but she works very hard at school and her English is perfect. I'm very proud of her."
Peterborough Today
Photo above: Daniela Zheleva, right, with mum Stanislava and friend Daniel Nikolaev, is thrilled to have been selected to go to the Queen’s Children’s Party at Buckingham Palace.