Saturday, April 23, 2016

King Harald of Norway - Birthday Reply (2016)

Today, I received a reply from King Harald of Norway. I had written to him in February for his 79th birthday. 

The envelope is the usual from the Norway Royals. "Det Kongelige Hoff" in the bottom corner is Norwegian for "The Royal Court."  The envelope is postmarked 16 April, just under two months after his birthday.



The letter looks exactly like the other letter I had received from Queen Sonja for her birthday last year. The letter is printed on a half-size sheet of paper. 


The letter reads:
Dear Miss Daly, 

H.M. The King has asked me to thank you for your friendly letter which His Majesty has been very pleased to receive. 

Yours sincerely, 

Åse-Marie Berg
Palace's Royal Secretariats

The letter is nice, but it doesn't mention why I wrote, which confused me. I had sent three letters over the last few months to the Norway Royals (Christmas, Silver Jubilee in January, and King Harald's 79th Birthday in February) and this was the only reply I've received. I was able to figure out that this was in reply to my birthday letter since I had moved in late January, and the birthday reply was the only one that used my new address.

The words "friendly letter" made me smile. Usually, they just write "your letter" or thank you for your "kind wishes."

The letter is hand signed by Åse-Marie Berg, who is one of the Palace's Royal Secretariats. Royal Secretariat is a department in the Royal Household that organizes engagements, responds to invitations, answers mail, etc. Should not be confused with a Private Secretary.

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