Princethorpe pupil's First World War poetry earns invite to Buckingham Palace

Hannah Owens, 17, won the ‘Never Such Innocence’ competition with her poem ‘Dear Ivy’ in 2017.

The competition, which has been held every year since 2014, gives young people the chance to commemorate the First World War by writing poetry and creating art.

Because of her earlier success, she was invited to the final of this year’s competition on Wednesday November 7.

Hannah described the experience as ‘incredible and utterly surreal’, and said she was ‘honoured’ to have been invited.

She added: “At the finale we listened to readings and reflections on World War One. There were speeches from inspirational members of the armed forces and statements from the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Defence.”

This is not the first time Hannah has been invited to large Remembrance events.

When she won the competition in 2017, Hannah was invited to the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele. While there, she read out ‘Dear Ivy’ to the attendees.