The envelope is bigger than a normal letter-sized envelope because the reply is larger. It was sent by registered mail, so I had to be signed for, which I think makes it even more special. When Camilla to send replies that she has personally signed, they are always sent by registered mail.
One of the things I love about mail from Camilla's office (opposed to the normal correspondence section at Clarence House) is they write the address with each line indented. I think that is really nice, especially on a larger envelope.
The back of the envelope features Camilla's C monogram. The green monogram means this reply came from Birkhall, Charles & Camilla's residence in Scotland. Charles & Camilla were still up there on their summer holiday when this reply was sent.
(The Buckingham Palace postmark on the front, just means this reply was processed through the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace.)
A closer look at Camilla's monograms: the green is from Birkhall in Scotland and the blue is from Clarence House in London, England.
In the envelope was Camilla's usual birthday reply: a large photocard, with typed message on the back. This is double the size the normal photo replies we see from Clarence House.
The photo is from Charles & Camilla's tour of Europe earlier this year. This photo was taken at the Hofburg Palace on April 5 in Vienna, Austria. Hofburg Palace is the official residence and office of the President of Austria.
Camilla changes up the message on the back of the card every year. And I like that she makes them a little witty. The card has been hand-signed & personalized by Camilla.
The card reads:
Dear Gertrude,
I can't beleive that 70 years have passed so quickly! Thank you very much for remembering my birthday.
With best wishes,Camilla
This reply came just over 3.5 months after I had written, which is a longer wait time than usual, but not too uncommon. I have had longer response times from Clarence House. And of course, I'm quite willing to wait a while for such a lovely reply.
Our 2017 Guide to Writing to the Royal for Christmas will be out on Nov 1st.
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