Prince Charles - Birthday Reply (2014)

A reply arrived today from the UK. I had written to Prince Charles for his birthday. The envelope is the typical from the British Royals.

The back of the envelope features the Prince of Wales feathers.

Inside, is a letter from Claudia Spens, the head of Clarence House's Correspondence Section.

Message says:

Dear Miss Daly,  

The Prince of Wales has asked me to thank you for your letter of 13th October, and kind message which you have sent on the occasion of his forthcoming birthday.  

His Royal Highness is most grateful to you for taking the trouble to write as you did; he was particularly touched by your kind words of support for himself, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George. 

The Prince of Wales has asked me to send you his warmest thanks and very best wishes.  

Your sincerely,  

Claudia Spens

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The Cambridges - 2nd pregnancy reply (2014)

A very lovely reply arrived from the UK. I had written to The Cambridges to send them my congratulations on the news that they were expecting their 2nd child.

The card is the Cambridges' typical reply, photo on the front and typed message on the back.  

The photo is the same as Prince George's 1st Birthday reply.  The photo is from Prince George's Plunket Playgroup during the Cambridges' 2014 New Zeland Tour. The photo was taken by Simon Woolf, the New Zealand government's official photographer for the tour.

The message reads:

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were touched by your kind words following the happy news that they are expecting their 2nd child.

It was really most thoughtful of you and Their Royal Highnesses send you their warmest thanks and best wishes. 

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Prince George of Cambridge - 1st Birthday Reply (2014)

My very first time writing to the Royals was for Prince George's 1st birthday. It was very exciting to write to the Royals for the 1st time. And little did I know that I would continue to do this for years to come.

The envelope is the typical from the British Royals. It features the red EIIR postmark from the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace.

The back of the envelope features Prince William's red monogram. In 2014, William & Kate used William's monogram on all their joint replies. The British Royals aren't big on joint monograms. They do use them occasionally, but more often they just use the monogram of the more senior royal.

The reply is the typical from Clarence House, a postcard size photo with a typed message on the back. The photo is from Prince George's Plunket Playgroup during the family's 2014 New Zeland Tour. The photo was taken by Simon Woolf, who was the New Zealand government's official photographer for the tour. Duchess Kate said this was one of her favorite photos from the trip.

The message is the usual type of thing from Clarence House. I do like that they included Prince George's age in the message. 

The message reads: 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are most grateful for the very kind message you sent to Prince George on the occasion of his first birthday. 

It really was most thoughtful of you and greatly appreciated. 

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The Queen - Christmas Reply (2014)

Christmas 2014 was the very 1st time I had ever written to Queen Elizabeth. And what a fascinating response. For some reason, I actually received two letters in reply. Both very similar, but written by two different ladies-in-waiting and from two different royal residences.

The first reply came from Buckingham Palace. The envelope features the red postmark you typically see on mail from the British Royals.

The back of the envelope and top of the letter feature the Queen's coat of arms.

The letter is written Annabel Whitehead, one of the Queen's Ladies-in-Waiting.

The letter reads: 

Buckingham Palace

Dear Miss Daly,  

The Queen wishes me to write and thank you for your letter.  

Her Majesty thought it so kind of you to write to her, and was touched by your message of support for her at this time.  

I am to say that your kind thoughts for The Queen and her family is greatly appreciated, and Her Majesty hopes that you too will have a happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.  

Yours Sincerely,
Annabel Whitehead

The 2nd reply is from Sandringham House, where the Queen spends her Christmas holiday.  This is the first time I have gotten an envelope from the British Royals that didn't the red Buckingham Palace postmark. This postmark is from the Court Post Office at Sandringham House that the Royal Mail sets up when the Queen is in residence.

This letter is from Mary Morrison, another one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting. There are some slight differences in wording, but basically, it is the same letter. 

The letter reads:

Sandringham House

Dear Miss Daly, 

The Queen wishes me to write and thank you for your letter.  

Her Majesty thought it so kind of you to write to her and was touched by your message of support for her.

I am to say that your kind thoughts for The Queen and her family at this time is greatly appreciated, and Her Majesty hopes that you had a happy Christmas and enjoy a peaceful year ahead.   

Yours Sincerely,
Mary Morrison 

Each Christmas most people who write to the Queen get replies from Buckingham Palace. But a few of the letters are collected and taken to Sandringham for the Queen's ladies-in-waiting to answer during their holiday.

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