A reply arrived on Friday from the UK. I had written to Duchess Kate in January for her 37th birthday.
At first glance, the front of the envelope looks pretty much the same as always: Red Crown with EIIR, Buckingham Palace circle with date, and 1st class box with the royal's PPI number.
But if you look closely, you will see that the postmark has been redesigned.
The most obvious change to the postmark is the new Red Crown/EIIR. It's a little more detailed, with a larger crown.
But the real reason for the redesign is the new PPI number. The Royal Mail's PPI (Printed Postage Impressions) program allows you to print your own postage on the envelope and then the Royal Mail can use your PPI number of charge your account. Previously, all the mail from the British Royals was marked with the PPI number, W7047. The number has now changed to W4047.
I don't know why the royals changed their PPI number. They had their old number since at least the 1990s.
But, since all the British Royal mail uses the same PPI number we should see all the postmarks change (Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Sandringham House, etc.).
You can learn more about the different postmarks used by the British Royals here.
Another interesting thing about the redesign is it is much smaller than the old postmark. You can see it in the photo above, compared with the old design as featured in two different sized envelopes.
The back of the envelope is the usual from the Cambridges.
Inside is the usual photocard along with a letter.
The front of the card features a lovely photo of Duchess Kate. The photo was taken by James Whatling during the Cambridges tour of Canada in 2016. This is the 3rd year in a row that Clarence House has used this photo of Kate's birthday reply. It is very common for them to reuse photos for multiple events/years.
The back of the card says:
The letter is from Claudia Spens, head of the correspondence section at Clarence House.
The back of the envelope is the usual from the Cambridges.
Inside is the usual photocard along with a letter.
The front of the card features a lovely photo of Duchess Kate. The photo was taken by James Whatling during the Cambridges tour of Canada in 2016. This is the 3rd year in a row that Clarence House has used this photo of Kate's birthday reply. It is very common for them to reuse photos for multiple events/years.
The back of the card features the new redesign that was debuted in Janurary 2019. For more on the redesign see our post on the Evolution of Charles & Camilla's photocard. It is basically the same except version #3 features the Prince of Wales feathers instead of the Black Crown/Kensington Palace.
The back of the card says:
It was so kind of you to write to The Duchess of Cambridge on the occasion of her 37th birthday.
Your thoughtfulness was greatly appreciated by Her Royal Highness who send her warmest thanks and best wishes.
The letter is from Claudia Spens, head of the correspondence section at Clarence House.
The letter says:
Dear Miss Daly,
The Duchess of Cambridge has asked me to thank you for your letter of 6th January and I must apologise for the delay in responding to you.
It was so kind of you to take the trouble to write as you did. Her Royal Highness was immensely touched by your generous words of support for the work she undertakes with young people and mental health. As you know, this is an issue about which The Duchess is passionate and your thoughtful comments were greatly appreciated.
I regret that Her Royal Highness is unable to reply to you personally, due to the large amount of correspondence she received. The Duchess of Cambridge has, however, asked me to send you her warmest thanks and very best wishes.
Yours sincerely,
Claudia SpensBack to Replies - Main Page
