Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Princess Anne - Birthday Reply (2018)

A reply arrived today from the UK. I had written to Princess Anne earlier this month for her birthday. And as very often happens with her office, they were very quick to reply. 

The front of the envelope is the usual from the British Royals. 


The back of the envelope features Princess Anne's coat of arms like usual. But I noticed that Anne's office has changed their envelopes. The new one features a darker and slightly less detailed version of Princess Anne's coat of arms. And the envelope is also a slightly different color. 

Old vs. New

Inside is the letter from Mrs. Isabella Ward, Princess Anne's Office Secretary. The letter thanks me for my birthday wishes and my congratulations on the birth of Anne's new granddaughter, which I had also mentioned in my letter.



The letter says:
Dear Miss Daly,  
The Princess Royal has asked me to thank you for your letter dated 2nd August with its kind message wishing her a happy birthday for 15th August and congratulations on the birth of her new granddaughter, Lena Elizabeth.  
Her Royal Highness was touched that you had thought to write to her again and sends you her best wishes for the future. 
Yours Sincererly,  
Isabella Ward 
Mrs. Isabella Ward Office Secretary to HRH The Princess Royal

What is especially nice is the letter says, "touched that you had thought to write to her again." I think it really sweet that they noticed I had written to Princess Anne before.

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Monday, August 27, 2018

Duchess Meghan - Confirmation Reply (2018)

A reply arrived last week from the UK.

I had written to Duchess Meghan back in March when she was still just Meghan Markle, to congratulate her on her Confirmation into the Church of England. I really wasn't expecting a reply, given that Meghan wasn't married to Prince Harry yet. So, this was definitely a surprise to receive.

The reply came just over 5 months after I sent my letter. Which is a pretty long response time. But understandable for how busy they have been. (I've yet to receive my reply for Prince Louis's birth or the Sussexs's Wedding either.)

The envelope is the usual from the British Royals. But you will notice the double postmark. The Red EIIR postmark comes from the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace. The 2nd black postmark is from the Mount Plesant Mail Centre, where most international mail is sorted before heading to Heathrow Airport. The 2nd postmark is accidental. We use to see it only occasionally, but now it's been happening pretty often.



The back of the envelope features the black Kensington Palace Cypher that Correspondence Section at Clarence House uses for the Cambridges & Sussexs's replies.



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


The message reads:
Dear Miss Daly, 
The Duchess of Sussex has asked me to thank you for your letter of 14th March. I apologise for the delay in replying. We have been overwhelmed by the thousands of letters and cards received this year and it is taking much longer to respond than usual. 
It was so kind of you to take the trouble to write as you did. Her Royal Highness appreciated your generous words of support and has asked me to send you her warmest thanks and best wishes. 
Yours sincerely,  
Claudia Spens

Sadly, the message doesn't make any mention that I wrote for Meghan's confirmation.

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Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark - 50th Birthday Reply (2018)

Today I received a lovely reply from Denmark.

I had written to Crown Prince Frederik for his 50th Birthday in May. The reply took just over 3 months to arrive, which is longer than usual for the Denmark Royals.

The reply is the typical from the Crown Prince Couple, a lovely pre-made card with a typed message and textured edge.


The message says:
His Royal Highness The Crown Prince has asked me to thank you for your kind congratulations on the occasion of his 50th Birthday.  
Chief of the Court of Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark
The Crown Prince couple usually send pretty identical replies year to year, so it is very nice to see that this year's card mentions how old Frederik is.

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How to Format your Envelope

Some of the most common questions I get asked are about the envelope. How do I address it? Where do things go? How much postage? etc.

These are hard questions to answer because it depends on what country you are from. Different countries format their envelopes differently.

To help answer your questions, I have created a list of National Post Services with links to their website. You can find it here. They should answer some of your basic mailing/envelope questions.

 You should look up how to properly format envelopes according to your country's rules. But here is the most common layout. 
Most Common Layout
Front of the Envelope



One thing every postal service asks is to write clearly on the envelope. It can be typed or handwritten in Black or Blue ink. (Other colors of ink may be hard for a mail-sorting machine to read).

Royal's Name:
The name of the Royal is important because it helps to make sure your letter gets to their office. Royal Palaces get a lot of mail each day for different royals and staff. 

You can address it any way people might normally address that royal (as long as it is respectful, clearly understood, and will fit on the envelope).

For example, for King Charles of the UK you may use any of the following (or something similar):
HM King
His Majesty The King
The King
King Charles
His Majesty King Charles The Third 
Charles III
KCIII
HM King of the United Kingdom

You can get more specific, and address HM in a way that is more personal to you:

HM King Charles III, Head of the Commonwealth
HM King Charles of ______ (Insert Realm)
 Mr. Charles Windsor  (For Anti Monarchists)

The Royal's Address:

This part is easy. We have a list of Royal Addresses, you can find it here.

Note: The addresses are sometimes written in the royal country's language. That is okay. Your country's post service doesn't need to understand the whole address, they just need to send it to the right country. Then that country's post service will deliver your letter to the right place. 

We have written the "COUNTRY NAME" in English, but it is best if you translate the "COUNTRY NAME" into your country's language. That way your post service can easily send your letter to the right country. The "COUNTRY NAME" should be written in all CAPITAL LETTERS, so the sorting machines can easily read it. 

Return Address: 
This is your address, where the reply should be sent. Write your address in the way it is usually done in your country and in your country's language. (Although you could translate the COUNTRY NAME.)

Stamps:
How much postage you need will depend on your country. Letters sent internationally require more stamps than a letter sent to someone in your country. Letters that are not a standard size, shape, or thickness may need more stamps. Letters that are classified as "non-machinable" require additional postage as well. A letter may be non-machinable due to their size, shape, thickness, uneven thickness, too rigid, has clasps, buttons, string, etc. plastic envelopes,  address written in wrong spot, etc. 

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List of National Postal Websites

There are some questions about the basics of sending mail, that I can't answer because they are specific to your country.  Listed below are links to the websites of Postal services around the world, where you can hopefully find the answer to your question.

Obviously, this is not a complete list of National Post Services. If your country isn't on the list, let us know and we can try to find it and add it. Or if you have the link to your national post service, and would like to share it with us, that would be great.

NOTE: Look at your country, not the country you are sending mail to.

Europe:
Austria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
France
Greece
Germany
Italy
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Russia
Serbia
Slovakia
Turkey
UK

North America:
Canada
Mexico
USA

South America:
Argentina
Brazil
Colombia

Asia:
Bahrain
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Kuwait
Malaysia
Pakistan
Philippines
Russia
Singapore

Africa:
Egypt
Morocco
Nigeria 
South Africa
Tunisia

Oceanic:
Australia
New Zealand

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Addresses for Current Monarchies (Rest of World)

This list is of addresses for Current Monarchies outside of Europe. If you are looking for an address for a current monarchy in Europe or a former Monarchy look here. 

This in no way a complete list. This is just royals we've written to, or have been asked to find the address for. If you are trying to find an address for a Royal Family not on this list, just ask. 

Bhutan

Royal Secretariat,
Tashichho Dzong,
Thimphu, BHUTAN

Japan

The Imperial Household Agency
1-1 Chiyoda,
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-8111
JAPAN

Jordan

Royal Hashemite Court
Amman, JORDAN

Lesotho 

The Royal Palace Secretariat
P.O. Box 527
Maseru,  LESOTHO

Thailand

The Grand Palace
Na Phra Lan Road
Bangkok 10200
THAILAND

For Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn:

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn's Personal Affairs Division
Chaipattana Building, Chitralada Villa, Rajvithee Road, Dusit District,
Bangkok 10303, THAILAND

Tonga

Palace Office
Halatu'i, Kolofo'ou,
Nuku'alofa, Tongatapu
TONGA

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Denmark Royal Replies - Main Page

We are in the process of moving the replies, as we have broken them up by couple/family.

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Sunday, August 26, 2018

Norway Royals Replies - Main Page

I've written to the Norway royals a number of times over the years, but have only gotten three replies.

2019
2017-2018
  • Did not receive any replies
2016
2015
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Other British Royals Replies - Main Page

We haven't moved all of our past replies over yet to the new site. But you can find the rest of our old replies here.

2023
2021
Birthday:

Other:

 2020
Birthday:
Other:


2019
Birthday:
Other:


2018
Birthday:
Other:
2017
Birthday:
Other:

2016
Birthday:
Other:

2015
Birthday:
Other:

2014
Birthday:
Other:

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Average Response Time

This is based on my experiences and who I've written to and for what events. Response times may differ.

Shortest Response Time Longest Response Time Always Reply? Photo?
UK
Charles & Camilla3 weeks 3.5 months Yes Most of the Time
Cambridges & Sussexes 2.5 weeks 5.5 months Yes Most of the Time
Other 14 days 2.5 months No Not usually
Belgium
Royal Family 2.5 weeks 3.5 months YesSometimes
Denmark
Queen Margrethe 2 weeks 3.5 monthsNo Never
Crown Prince Couple 2 weeks3 months Yes Never
Others Not enough info Not enough info No No
Liechtenstein
Royal Family 2 weeks2 months No No
Luxembourg
Royal Family3 weeks 2.5 monthsNo No
Monaco
Albert & Charlene 3 weeks 4.5 months Yes Not usually
Others 1 month Not enough info No No
Netherlands
King Willem-Alexander & Queen Maxima1 month 2 months Most of the Time Most of the Time
Queen Beatrix - - No -
Others - -No -
Norway
Royal Family Under 1 month 2.5 months Hardly ever No
Spain
King Felipe & Queen Letizia2 months 2 months No Sometimes
King Juan Carlos & Queen Sofia 1.5 months 2.5 months Not enough info No
Sweden
Royal Family2 months 4 months NoMost of the Time

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The Sussexes' Replies - Main Page

Here are all of the replies I have received for Prince Harry, Duchess Meghan, & Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

Evolution of the Sussexes Replies 

2021
2020
2019
February 2018 - September 2019
Birthday:
Other: 
2018 
Birthday:
Other:
2017
Birthday:
Other:
2016
Birthday:
October 2014 - October 2017
Other: 
2015
Birthday:
Other:
2014
Birthday:
Other:

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The Waleses Replies - Main Page

Here are my replies from The Waleses: Prince William, Princess Kate, Prince George, Princess Charlotte & Prince Louis.

A few years ago, Clarence House changed what they reply to, in order to cut down costs. They no longer send out replies for Prince William & Princess Kate's birthday, expect on milestone years. 

Christmas 

Birthdays

Other 
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Sweden Royal Replies - Main Page

Standard Envelope

2023
2022
(None received)

2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
(None received)

2016
(None received)

2015 
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Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Prince George of Cambridge - Birthday Reply (2017)

 A very lovely piece of Royal Mail arrived today from the UK!


Receiving Prince George's birthday reply always makes me very happy. I sent my very first royal letter 4 years ago, for George's 1st birthday. So it's exciting to be entering my 4 years of letter writing.

The reply is typical of what we see for Prince George's birthday. It is a photo card with a typed message on the back.

The photos for this year's card is from October 2016, when the Cambridges were in Canada. That makes this photo 10 months old. I would have loved to see a more recent photo. I feel like little kids change a lot over a few months. This is the 2nd time, Prince George's birthday reply featured something other than the official birthday photo.


The photo was taken by Andrew Milligan, a UK photographer. The Cambridge also used photos from their 2016 Canada Tour for their Christmas & Duchess Kate's Birthday reply this past year.

The message on the back of the card is slightly different than the one we saw for Prince George's birthday the last 3 years. It's always nice to see them change it up a bit. 

The card says: 
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge thank you for the message you so kindly sent to Prince George on the occasion of his fourth birthday. 
It was most thoughtful of you and greatly appreciated. 

Accompanying the card was a letter from Claudia Spens, head of the Correspondence Section at Clarence House. Given that the Cambridges were in the middle of their Poland & Germany Tour when I wrote, I had obviously mentioned that a good bit in my letter for George's birthday. 


The letter says: 

Dear Miss Daly,  
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have asked me to thank you for your letter of 19th July in which you wrote about Their Royal Highnesses recent visit to Poland and Germany.  
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte thoroughly enjoyed their tour of Poland and Germany, and were overwhelmed by the wonderful welcome and warm reception they received.  
Their Royal Highnesses were immensely touched that you should take the trouble to write on the occasion or Prince George's 4th Birthday. It really was most thoughtful of you and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have asked me to send you the enclosed special picture along with their warmest thanks and best wishes.  
Your sincerely, 
Claudia Spens

This reply arrived a month after Prince George's birthday, which is a good response time. My reply for George's 1st & 3rd birthday also arrived in August. George's 2nd birthday reply came in October.


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Monday, August 6, 2018

List of Royal Birthdays

Photo: Kate Gabor/The Royal Court of Sweden

The following is a list of Royal Birthdays from the 10 Current European Monarchies (+ a few others outside of Europe.) This list does not contain every member of those royal families as that would result in hundreds of people. Originally we limited our list to 100 Royals, but later raised the cap to 125 royals. 

Milestone Birthdays: 
  • 2024
    • x0th Birthday - Years ending in 4
    • x5th Birthday - Years ending in 9
    • 18th Birthday - 2006
  • 2025
    • x0th Birthday - Years ending in 5
    • x5th Birthday - Years ending in 0
    • 18th Birthday - 2007
  • 2026
    • x0th Birthday - Years ending in 6
    • x5th Birthday - Years ending in 1
    • 18th Birthday - 2008
Not everyone on this list response to mail from well-wishers. I probably only write to about half the royals each month for their birthdays. 

January
5th - King Juan Carlos I of Spain (1938)
8th - Prince Vincent of Denmark (2011)
8th - Princess Josephine of Denmark (2011)
9th - Catherine/Kate, The Princess of Wales (UK) (1982)
15th - Princess Michael of Kent (UK) (1945)
18th - Princess Claire of Belgium (1974)
19th - Princess Margriet of the Netherlands (1967)
20th - Queen Mathilde of Belgium (1973)
20th - Sophie, The Duchess of Edinburgh (UK)  (1965)
21st - Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway (2004)
23rd - Princess Caroline of Hanover (& Monaco) (1957)
25th - Princess Charlene of Monaco (1978)
30th - King Felipe VI of Spain (1968)
30th - King Abdullah II of Jordan (1962)
31st - Princess Beatrix of Netherlands (1938)

February
1st  - Princess Stéphanie of Monaco (1965)
5th - Queen Mary of Denmark (1972)
6th - Princess Marie of Denmark (1976)
12th - Princess Astrid of Norway (1932)
14th - Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein (1945)
16th - Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg (1991)
18th - Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie of Luxembourg (1984)
19th - Prince Andrew, The Duke of York (UK) (1960)
20th - Princess Leonore of Sweden (2014)
21st - King Harald V of Norway (1968)
22nd - The Duchess of Kent (1933)
22nd - Princess Delphine of Belgium (1968)
23rd - Princess Estelle of Sweden (2012)


March
1st  - Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence (UK) (1955)
2nd -  Prince Oscar of Sweden (2016)
9th - Princess Adrienne of Sweden (2018)
10th - Prince Edward, The Duke of Edinburgh (UK)  (1964)
14th - Prince Albert II of Monaco (1958)
21st - Princess Claire of Luxembourg (1985)
22nd - Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg (1956)
23rd - Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Brooksbank (UK) (1990)
27th - Prince François of Luxembourg (2023)

April
10th - Princess Ariane of the Netherlands (2007)
15th - King Philippe of Belgium (1960)
16th - Princess Eléonore of Belgium (2008)
16th - Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg (1992)
16th - Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg (1955)
16th - Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (1940)
19th - Prince Alexander of Sweden (2016)
20th - Prince Georg of Liechtenstein (1999)
23rd - Prince Louis of Wales (UK) (2018)
21st - Princess Isabella of Denmark (2007)
27th - King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands (1967)
28th - Princess Rajwa of Jordan (1994)
29th - Princess (Infanta) Sofía of Spain (2007)
29th - Princess Benedikte of Denmark (1944)
30th - King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden (1946)
30th - Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven (Netherlands) (1939)

May
2nd  - Princess Charlotte of Wales (UK)(2015)
6th   - Prince Archie of Sussex (UK) (2019)
10th - Prince Charles of Luxembourg (2020)
13th - Prince Carl Philip of Sweden  (1979)
15th - Zara Tindall (UK) (1981)
17th - Queen Máxima of the Netherlands (1971)
24th - Prince Joseph of Liechtenstein (1995)
25th - Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands (1966)
26th - King Frederik of Denmark (1968)

June
3rd - Prince Félix of Luxembourg (1984)
4th - Princess Lilibet of Sussex  (UK)  (2021)
5th - Princess Astrid of Belgium  (1962)
6th - King Albert II of Belgium (1934)
7th - Prince Joachim of Denmark (1969)
10th - Princess Madeleine of Sweden (1982)
11th - Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein (1968)
15th - Prince Nicolas of Sweden (2015)
20th - The Duchess of Gloucester (1946)
21st - Prince William, The Prince of Wales (1982)
26th - Princess Alexia of the Netherlands (2005)
27th - Chris O'Neill (Sweden) (1974)
28th - Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan (1994)

July
4th - Prince Michael of Kent (UK) (1942)
4th - Queen Sonja of Norway (1937)
14th - Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden (1977)
17th - Queen Camilla of United Kingdom (1947)
20th - Crown Prince Haakon of Norway (1973)
22nd - Prince George of Wales (UK)  (2013)

August
3rd - Prince Louis of Luxembourg (1986)
4th - Duchess Meghan of Sussex (UK) (1981)
8th - Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Mapelli Mozzi  (UK) (1988)
11th - Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands) (1968)
15th - Princess Anne, The Princess Royal (UK) (1950)
19th - Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway (1973)
20th - Prince Gabriel of Belgium (2003)
26th - The Duke of Gloucester (UK)  (1944)
31st  - Queen Rania of Jordan (1970)
31st - Prince Gabriel of Sweden (2017)

September
11th  - Queen Paola of Belgium (1937)
15th - Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex (UK) (1984)
15th - Prince Daniel of Sweden (1973)
15th - Queen Letizia of Spain (1972)
22nd - Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (1971)

October
4th - Prince Emmanuel of Belgium (2005)
9th -  The Duke of Kent (UK) (1935)
11th - Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands (1969)
15th - Crown Prince Christian of Denmark (2005)
15th - Sarah, Duchess of York (1959)
17th - Princess Marie Caroline of Liechtenstein (1996)
19th - Prince Laurent of Belgium (1963)
25th - Princess Elisabeth of Belgium (2001)
28th - Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein (1967)
31st - Princess Leonor of Spain (2005)

November
2nd - Queen Sofia of Spain (1938)
8th - Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor (Edinburgh) (UK)   (2003)
11th - Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg (1981)
11th - Nicolas Bagory (Luxembourg) (1998)
14th - King Charles of United Kingdom (1948)
15th - Peter Phillips (1977)

December
3rd - Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway (2005)
5th - Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este  (1995)
6th - Princess Sofia of Sweden (2015)
6th - Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein (2000)
7th - Princess Catharina-Amalia of Netherlands (2003)
10th - Princess Gabriella of Monaco (2014)
10th - Crown Prince Jacques of Monaco (2014)
17th -  James, Earl of Wessex (2007)
23rd - Queen Silvia of Sweden (1943)
25th - Princess Alexandra of UK (1936)
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