Gabriella fulfils Granny's last wish by collecting Youth Ballet founder's CBE


A 10-year-old ballerina has carried out one of her late grandmother's final wishes by picking up a CBE on her behalf at Buckingham Palace.

Gabriella Rummery, from Brasted in Kent, wore a dress chosen by Jill Tookey before she died from pancreatic cancer aged 79 on March 25.

The Prince of Wales gave the young dancer Ms Tookey's honour for services to dance and young people, and afterwards Gabriella said Charles spoke to her about how her grandmother turned his book The Old Man Of Lochnagar into a ballet.


"He said 'Oh yes, your granny said for me to come and watch', and I said 'Yeah, that would be amazing'," she told the Press Association.

Ms Tookey set up and ran the National Youth Ballet for 29 years and Gabriella is a dancer there.

The late ballet supremo was given permission from Charles to turn The Old Man Of Lochnagar into a ballet, and the NYB are dancing the show again later this year in Ms Tookey's honour, which was another of her last wishes.

Speaking about her grandmother, Gabriella said she would have been "really happy" about the trip to the Palace.

"Granny was fun. And she was arty, and always happy," she said, adding: "I will remember her as a fun and amazing grandma."

Gabriella's mother, Camilla, 42, said: "I was with her literally on her last days, minutes, and she really wanted Gabriella to pick it up because she's the only granddaughter for one, but she wanted to encourage Ella to follow her dreams.

"And my mum got to where she got by dreaming big and never giving up on something and always saying yes to something, rather than 'I can't do that', just yes, and seeing the impossible and making it happen. And I think that's what she really wanted to instil in Gabriella."

As founder and artistic director of the NYB, Ms Tookey inspired and encouraged thousands of children to go on to have professional careers in dance and the arts.

Looking ahead to the future, Gabriella said: "What I want to be when I'm older is something amazing that can change the world in a good way."

Dance Press Release