Today, I received a lovely reply from Liechtenstein. I had written to Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein last month for her 51st Brithday.
The envelope is the typical from the Lichtenstein Royals.
The reply is a lovely flat card with a textured edge and embossed coat of arms. The Liechtenstein royals always (in my experience) reply with this same basic card. The "Many thanks for your kind wishes," message would have gotten printed on when the cards were originally made. Since they use this card for all sort of occasions, the 2nd part of the message "on the occasion of my birthday," would have been added latter in their office specificly for this ocassion. That is why it is in a different font.
Inside is the Belgium Royal's usual birthday reply, a typed card and photo.
The card reads:
Royal Palace of Brussels
Their Majesties the King and the Queen express their sincere thanks for the good wishes you addressed to Princess Elizabeth on the occasion of her 17th birthday.
Accompanying the card is a photo of Princess Elisabeth taken this summer as part of a set to mark King Philippe's 5th Anniversary of Accession.
This reply is for the very first letter I ever wrote Prince Harry, for his 30th Birthday in 2014. Since I didn't start blogging till 2015, this reply never got its own blog post.
The envelope is the usual for the British Royals.
The back of the envelope features Prince Harry's blue monogram. Back then, whenever you wrote to Harry, William or Kate, you would get a reply with their monogram on it. The Correspondence Section at Clarence House switched to a more generic "Kensington Palace" with Black Crown stationary in 2016, to use for all 3 royals. This was likely a cost-cutting/ time-saving measure.
The Cambridges & Sussexs still have their own solo monogram stationery, which they use for more official or personal things.
Inside was the typical photo card from Clarence House. The front features a photo by Chris Jackson, from the Jaguar Landrover Driving Challenge, ahead of the 2014 Invictus Games.
The back of the card features the usual sort of message. I especially like that they included which birthday it is.
The card reads:
Prince Harry was touched you took the trouble to write as you did on the occasion of his 30th birthday.It really was most thoughtful of you and His Royal Highness sends you his warmest thanks and best wishes.
When writing to the Royals there are a lot of different ways you can address them.
The table below gives two options for the envelope and "Dear _," line.
Option #1 is more formal.
Option #2 is informal.
If option 2 is almost identical to option one I left that blank.
You can always leave off the "HM," "HRH," "TRH," "HE," or the "The" in the title if you want. "HM," "HRH," "TRH," "HE," doesn't need to be spelled out, except when you are using it as your "Dear _," line.
King Frederik's Family
Who
Envelope #1
Envelope #2
"Dear _," #1
"Dear _," #2
King Frederik
HM The King
King Frederik
Your Majesty
King Frederik
Queen Mary
HM The Queen
Queen Mary
Your Majesty
Queen Mary
Frederik and Mary
TM The King & Queen
King Frederik & Queen Mary
Your Majesties
King Frederik & Queen Mary
Christian
HRH The Crown Prince
Crown Prince Christian
Your Royal Highness
Crown Prince Christian
Other Children
HRH Prince/ss (name)
Prince/ss (name)
Your Royal Highness
Prince/ss (name)
Queen Margrethe & Princess Benedikte
The Palace has not yet confirmed Queen Margrethe's exact title post-abdication. But they have confirmed she will continue to be referred to as "Your Majesty."
If you are using Princess Caroline's title Princess of Hanover, use HRH. But if you are just saying "Princess Caroline", you can use either HRH or HSH.
You can always leave off the "HSH," "TSH," "HRH," or the "The" in the title if you want. "HSH," "TSH," and "HRH," doesn't need to be spelled out, except when you are using it as your "Dear _," line.
When writing to the Royals there are a lot of different ways you can address them.
The table below gives two options for the envelope and "Dear _," line.
Option #1 is more formal.
Option #2 is informal.
But there are a number of other options or variations. You can always leave off the "HM," "HRH," "TRH," or the "The" in the title if you want. "HM," "HRH," "TRH," doesn't need to be spelled out, except when you are using it as your "Dear _," line.
Who
Envelope #1
Envelope #2
"Dear _," #1
"Dear _," #2
King Charles
HM The King
HM King Charles
Your Majesty
King Charles
Queen Camilla
HM The Queen (or Queen Consort)
HM Queen Camilla
Your Majesty
Queen Camilla
Prince William
HRH The Prince of Wales
HRH Prince William
Your Royal Highness
Prince William
Princess Kate
HRH The Princess of Wales
HRH Prince Kate (or Catherine)
Princess Kate (or Catherine)
Duke*
HRH The Duke of (Title)
HRH Prince/Duke (Name)
Prince/Duke (Name) or Duke of (Title)
Duchess*
HRH The Duchess of (Title)
HRH Duchess (Name) or Princess (Name)
Princess/Duchess (Name) or Duchess of (Title)
Prince (using parent's territorial designation)
HRH Prince (Name) of (Title)
HRH Prince (Name)
Prince (Name)
Princess (using parent's territorial designation)
HRH Princess (Name) of (Title)
HRH Princess (Name)
Princess (Name)
Married Princess
HRH Princess (Name)
(Married Name)
Princess (Name)/ (Married Name)
Prince Edward
HRH The Earl of Wessex
HRH Prince Edward
Your Royal Highness
Prince Edward
Countess Sophie
HRH The Countess of Wessex
HRH Countess Sophie
Countess Sophie
Princess Anne
HRH The Princess Royal
HRH Princess Anne
Princess Anne
Princess Micheal of Kent
HRH Princess Micheal of Kent
HRH Princess Marie Christine
Princess Micheal of Kent / Princess Marie Christine
Duchess of Kent
HRH The Duchess of Kent
Katharine Kent
Katharine Kent
Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah Ferguson
Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah
No Title
Mr./Mrs./Ms
/Miss/Master
(First & Last name)
(First & Last name)
Mr./ Mrs./ Ms/ Miss/ Master
(First) (Last)
(First name)
*Prince Harry & Duchess Meghan are still His/Her Royal Highness but have agreed to no longer their HRH. You can choose to use it if you want or leave it off.
When writing to multiple Royals, you combine the two individual ways.
Who
Envelope #1
Envelope #2
"Dear _," #1
"Dear _," #2
King Charles & Queen Camilla
TM The King & Queen (or Queen Consort)
King Charles & Queen Camilla
Your Majesties
King Charles & Queen Camilla
Prince William & Princess Kate
TRH The Prince & Princess of Wales
Prince William & Princess Kate (or Catherine)
Your Royal Highnesses
Prince William & Princess Kate (or Catherine)
TRH Couple**
TRH (Title) & (Title) of (Title)
(Title) (Name) & (Title) (Name)
Your Royal Highnesses
(Names) & (Names)
TRH Families**
TRH The (Title)s
The (Title)s
Your Royal Highnesses
List individual names (either just the parents or everyone).
Princess Anne & Sir Tim
HRH The Princess Royal & Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence
Princess Anne & Sir Tim
Your Royal Highness & Sir Tim
Princess Anne & Sir Tim
Married Princess & Husband
HRH Princess (Name) & Mr. (Name)
Mr. & Mrs. (Last Name)
Your Royal Highness & Mr. (Last Name)
Princess (Name) & Mr. (Last Name), or Mr. & Mrs. (Last Name), or (Name) & (Name)
Non-titled Couple
Mr. & Mrs. (Last Name)
(First Name) & (First Name )(Last Name)
Mr. & Mrs. (Last Name)
(Name) & (Name)
**Prince Harry & Duchess Meghan are still His/Her Royal Highness but have agreed to no longer their HRH style. So, when referring to them as a couple you can choose to use TRH or leave it off.
The Netherland Palace confirmed in 2023 they are no longer sending out "Thank you" replies to well-wishers. Although it looks like the decision was made earlier.
Today, I am going to share an old reply, that never got its own blog post. I received this reply in January 2015, a few weeks before I even started my blog, Gert's Royals.
This reply was for the very 1st time I wrote to the Monaco Royals. I had written to Prince Albert & Princess Charlene in December 2014, for the birth of their twins, Crown Prince Jacques & Princess Gabriella. I had also mentioned in my letter that I send the family my best wishes for a wonderful Christmas.
In response to that letter, I received two replies. This one for Christmas and one a month later for the Twin's birth.
The front of the envelope is the typical from Monaco, and features Monaco's "Milleurs Voeux/Best Wishes" postmark to celebrate the 2015 New Years.
The back of the envelope features the couple's joint monogram.
The front of the card features Prince Albert & Princess Charlene's joint monogram, along with a lovely red Christmas design.
May Christmas shine brightly in your home and in your heart, and 2015 be full of joy.
Albert de Monaco & Charlene de Monaco
Inside the card was an extra note, they insert into the cards when a person has sent a gift for Christmas.
The card reads:
Thank you so much for the nice gift you sent on the occasion of Christmas. Your thoughtfulness really touched us, and we wish you a wonderful holiday season.
Today I received a reply from the UK. I had written to Duchess Sarah last month for her 59th birthday.
The envelope is pretty typical of the British Royals. One interesting thing is that Sarah is using the Royal's PPI (Printed Postage Impressions) number, W7047. The PPI number is a way of pre-printing the postage on the envelope (see the red box on the envelope). Each account has a unique number, the Royal's is W7047. The Royal Mail then uses that number to charge the correct account. Since 2001, the Sovereign Grant has paid for the Royal's postage. Previously, the service was provided for free by the Royal Mail.
I've noticed that whenever Sarah uses her own envelope with her monogram she uses her own PPI number, HQ6515. But when she uses one of Andrew's envelopes, she uses the Royal's PPI number. I don't know if she is repaying the Royal Household for the postage, or envelopes.
You might also notice the lack of EIIR Postmark or the red circle with "Buckingham Palace/Windsor Castle" and the date, that we usually see on British replies. You only get that postmark if the envelope is processed through one of the Court Post Offices, which this was not.
The back of the envelope features Princess Eugenie & Jack Brooksbank's joint monogram. These envelopes were printed specially for the couple's wedding reply.
In my birthday letter to Sarah, I had also mentioned her daughter's upcoming wedding, so in the envelope was two replies.
The first reply is for Duchess Sarah's birthday and features a home-made card. The card is a thick piece of cardstock, with an attached purple ribbon. The card has a lovely photo of a flower that has been glued onto the front.
Sarah used a lot of different photos and color ribbons for her birthday reply. While there were a number of repeats, I think people getting different photos makes it extra special.
I'm pretty sure Sarah took all the photos. She is a very avid photographer and even released a charity photobook years ago. This photo looks to be one Sarah posted on Instagram over Easter.
The back of the card feathers a typed message that has been glued onto the card. The signature is printed on. I like that Sarah used blue ink for the signature. It makes it look real, even though it isn't. The date on the card is Sarah's birthday.
The card reads:
Thank you so much for your birthday greetings. It was most kind of you to remember my birthday. I take great pleasure in sending you my best wishes.
Sarah
15 October 2018
With the birthday reply, I also received a reply thanking me for words about Eugenie's wedding. The card is the same as Princess Eugenie's wedding reply, except that this has a blank inside, that Sarah glued a message into.
This was a version of Princess Eugenie & Jack Brooksbank's wedding reply with a blank inside, featuring only the couple's monogram. This version of the card would have been used to send personal replies to family and friends.
Sarah took the blank card and personalized it with a typed message, that was glued to the card.
The message reads:
Thank you so much for your congratulation to us and warm wishes for the future happiness of Eugenie and Jack.
Their wedding was the most fabulous day. Eugenie looked so beautiful and Jack so handsome; the wedding service was a wonderful celebration of their love. We are so happy to welcome Jack into our family, he is the most marvellous person and enriches Eugenie's life. They are such a devoted couple.
Thank you for your kindness and loyalty over the years.
Sarah
The signature is printed on here as well.
It is interesting to see Sarah use that monogram at the top of her card. While it is quite lovely, it's actually the logo that was created for Sarah's Duchess Blend Tea. (Sarah's actual monogram features an 'S' under a crown.) So, it's interesting that Sarah would choose to make a nod towards her Business products with this card.
Today, I received a reply from the UK. I had written to The Queen's cousin, Princess Alexandra, last month to say I was very sorry to hear about her broken arm and health issues.
Princess Alexandra (81) has been off of engagements since mid-September, due to some health issue. We haven't been given any details. We were told the reason Princess Alexandra missed Princess Eugenie's wedding was because of a broken arm. But there is likely some underlying issue that lead to the fall which broke her arm. Princess Alexandra had a similar fall last year and broke her wrist.
Princess Alexandra is scheduled to return to official engagements at the beginning of December. But we will see what happens as she has been only canceling a month of engagements at a time. So engagements on the schedule is no guarantee she will be back.
The front of the envelope is the typical for the British royals.
What is interesting about the back is it features the Queen's coat of arms, not Princess Alexandra's. I'm not sure why she does this. All of the replies I've received from Princess Alexandra so far, have all used this same envelope.
One would think that this might be a sign that the Queen & Princess Alexandra are using the same envelopes. But these are all smaller than the Queen's envelopes as Alexandra typically replies with a half-size letter, opposed to the full-size the Queen sends.
The reply is the typical from Princess Alexandra and features her monogram at the top. The monogram is two interlocked 'A's. We don't see it often for the British Royals, but it's common for royal monograms to feature the royal's first initial double like this.
The letter reads:
Dear Miss Daly,
Princess Alexandra was grateful to receive your recent letter and was very touched by your kind words about her health.
In thanking you, Her Royal Highness sends her good wishes.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs. Diane A Duke LVO DLPrivate Secretary and Comptroller to HRH Princess Alexandra
As always post your questions about Writing to the Royal, and we will get to them as soon as possible. If you have questions about the royals in general check out our main site.
Question 1: I wrote to Princess Eugenie on the occasion of her wedding but I didn't put my address on the letter, only on the envelope. Would it be a problem? Answer: It shouldn't be a problem. you don't absolutely need the address on your letter, but it's just good practice, in case the envelope gets separated from the letter. It also makes it much easier for them to reply if the address is on the letter. Question 2: Is there a chance to reply from the wedding H & M? Answer: If you wrote back in May for their wedding and are still waiting for a reply, just be patient. Clarence House received thousands of letters & cards for the different royal events this year. They are still working on sending out all the replies for Harry & Meghan's wedding. I haven't gotten mine yet. Question 3: Have you ever wrote to Royal Family from Greece or another Dynasties deposed? Answer: I have written to the Greek Royals, I think at least twice. I never got a reply from them, but I have seen other people get replies. I have written to a few other former Monarchies over the years. I don't write a lot as I am not as interested in them. Most of the time I haven't gotten a reply, but I do have two replies from former monarchies. You can see them here. Question 4: Do you write to Sweden royal family on Christmas?
Answer: I have written to King Carl Gustaf & Queen Silvia a number of times in the past for Christmas, but have never gotten a reply. Question 5: Are replies from Sandringham rare?
Answer: It depends on what you mean by rare. The Queen's mail is normally answered by her ladies-in-waiting at Buckingham Palace. So most people get a reply from Buckingham Palace.
But when the Queen's is at one of her other residences, her ladies-in-waiting bring along some mail to answer while they are there. Not all the mail, but some of it. (I'm not sure to what degree the mail is pre-sorted to decide what is taken, and what will just be answered at Buckingham Palace.)
So, there are a lot of people each year who will get a reply from Sandringham, Windsor, or Balmoral. I think of it as being extra special and I guess it is little rarer, but not super rare.
I've gotten two replies from Sandringham before for Christmas 2014 & 2015.
And no, I wouldn't try to write to the Queen at one of these residences, just to get a reply from there. That will only cause delays and possible non-answer. Mail to the Queen should always be sent to Buckingham Palace.
Question 6: Do you think the Cambridges will use the family pics from Charles birthday for their christmas card?
Answer: I don't think so. It's not a photo of just all 5 of them, so I don't think they will use it. We might see the family photo from Louis's Christening or a new photo.
Question 7: Do you think that the Prince of Wales will do anything special for his 70th birthday reply? Answer: I don't think so. Clarence House doesn't really do special replies for extra special occasions. It's always the same type of photo card.
I think part of this is just because they always do nice replies. Not many royals send out a high-quality photocard like that for pretty much any event you write for.
Other royals send special cards for extra special occasions because their usual reply isn't all that special.
Palais de Monaco
Boite Postale 518
MC 98015 Monaco Cedex
MONACO
You can find our list of the different Royal addresses here.
Question 9: How many replies do you have? Answer: I don't have a count of the number of replies, but more than 200 I believe. Question 10: What is your favorite reply? What is your favorite person to write to? Answer: It is so hard to pick a favorite reply. I have gotten so many wonderful replies over the years, and there isn't really anyone reply that stands out above all the others. But I think my favorites, in general, are definitely when you get something hand-written, or a copy of a hand-written message. But replies are also extra special when you get something extra-large, on really nice paper, with a photo or signed by a royal. As for my favorite person to write to, that is also really hard to answer. I don't write to all the Royals, just the ones I like and care, so it's hard to pick just one favorite. Question 11: When writing to Sarah, Duchess of York and The Duke of York for Christmas would I have to send to different cards? Or can I send just one.
Answer: I would send two cards, as the couple is divorced and their mail is handled by different people. Andrew's is handled by his office, and Sarah's is forwarded on to her "office." Plus Sarah is the one who sends out the nice cards in reply. Andrew's office just replies with a basic letter. Question 12: Do you think Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank will send out their own Christmas card this year? Should I send one to them as well?
Answer: Princess Eugenie's mail is handled by her father's office. They don't normally send out Christmas cards, just a basic letter. So I wouldn't expect anything special from Eugenie. Question 13: Is it OK just to say "Dear William & Catherine" or do I need to add their titles in my letter?
Answer: You can use either their name or title, depending on how formal you want to be. "William & Catherine" or "William & Kate" is perfectly acceptable. We have a whole page on how to address the british royals, here.
Today I received a lovely reply from the UK. I had written to Princess Eugenie & Jack Brooksbank last month to congratulate the couple on their wedding.
The front of the envelope is the typical from the British Royals, featuring the red postmark from the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace. Obviously, as this reply is bigger than usual, the envelope is bigger than usual.
The back of the envelope features the couple's joint monogram. You will notice the lack of crown on the monogram. As Jack is not an HRH, his monogram & the couple's joint monogram does not feature a crown. Princess Eugenie's solo monogram still features a crown though.
The reply is the same size as their engagement reply, except the card is landscape instead of portrait. (This is about 2x the size of the typical photo card from Clarence House.)
The front of the card feature one of the couple official wedding photos taken by Alex Bramall. Bramall previously photographed Princess Eugenie for Harper's Bazaar back in 2016.
The picture was taken in the White Drawing Room, at Windsor Castle.
Back row: Prince George; Princess Charlotte; Theodora Williams; Jack Brooksbank; Princess Eugenie; Isla Phillips; Louis De Givenchy
Front row: Mia Tindall; Savannah Phillips; Maud Windsor
Inside the card is a copy of a handwritten note, likely written by Princess Eugenie. She would have written the note once, and then it is printed on all the cards.
The cards reads:
Thank you for the bottom of our hearts for making our wedding so special and for thinking of us as we start our married life.
We are completely over-whelmed with happiness.
Eugenie & Jack
The signatures are also printed onto the card. Eugenie & Jack's signatures are different than the ones featured on the couple's engagement reply, The York's tend to reuse their signatures, for their family Christmas card, so it is nice to see they didn't to that this time.
I long awaited reply arrived today from the UK. I had written to Harry & Meghan back in May to congratulate them on their wedding. This reply came about 5.5 months after I had written, which is a long response time, but not the longest I've seen. (That honor would go to the Queen's 90th Birthday Reply.)
The envelope is the usual from the British Royals, with the red postmark from the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace.
The back of the envelope features a black with Kensington Palace written underneath, that is used for the Cambridges & Sussex's mail.
The reply is the typical photo card, along with a letter.
The photo is one of the couple's official wedding photos taken by Alexi Lubomirski at Windsor Castle. This was my favorite one of their wedding photos. I like how relaxed it seemed. But I'm not sure how I feel about a black and white photo being used for their photo reply. I think a colored photo would have been more elegant.
The message on the back of the card is the usual sort of thing.
The card reads:
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been overwhelmed by all the incredibly kind cards and letters they have received on the occasion of their Wedding, and are so touched that you took the trouble to write as you did.
It really was most thoughtful of you and greatly appreciated by Their Royal Highnesses who send you their very best wishes.
I also received a letter from Claudia Spens, head of the Correspondence Section at Clarence House, thanking me for the donation I made in honor of the couple's wedding. I had made a donation to Myna Mahila Foundation, which was one of the seven charities Harry & Meghan suggested well-wishers donate to in lieu of sending a gift.
The letter reads:
Dear Miss Daly,
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have asked me to thank you for your letter of 24th May and I must apologise for the delay in responding to you. As I am sure you can imagine, this has been a particularly busy time for this office and we have, consequently, been unable to reply as quickly as we should have liked to.
It was so kind of you to take the trouble to write as you did and Their Royal Highnesses were immensely touches by your generous words of support. The Duke and Duchess were heartened to learn of the charitable donation you made to the Myna Mahila Foundation in their honour; this was most thoughtful and commendable of you and Their Royal Highnesses are incredibly grateful.
Although unable to reply to you personally, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have asked me to send you their warmest thanks for your letter and their very best wishes.
King Willem-Alexander & Queen Maxima's Christmas Reply from 2015, 2016 & 2017.
The Royals absolutely love to get letters and cards from the public, and Christmas is no different! Writing for the 1st time? If you are writing to the Royals for the 1st time (or want a refresher on the basics) check out our "How To" tab. This post will only cover the specifics for Christmas 2018. When to start writing? My feeling is Christmas letters and cards should arrive no more than a month before Christmas (i.e. after November 25th). So I usually start writing mid/late November. You don't want to start writing too early. As it can affect what you get in reply. (Same with being too late.) If they don't have the Christmas reply printed when they opening your letter, the office staff may just send you some generic reply, as they don't want mail stacking up in the office, given that they already hundreds a day. Send by Date? It is always hard to choose a "Send by Date" to recommend to you all. When you should send your letters varies from country to country, where you are sending it to, the type of mail (economy, standard, first class, priority, etc.), if it is a standard size envelope, etc. Our general recommended Send by Date is:Saturday, December 8th! To find the exact "send by date" for you, check out your national postal service's website. Some of you may need to send your letter earlier, while others will have more time. Remember during the Christmas season, it often takes longer for mail to arrive. What if I miss the Dec 8th send by date? That is perfectly okay. Feel free to continue sending your letters/cards after this date, it just may not arrive by Christmas. And that is fine. If you are sending your letter after Christmas, I would re-focus it a little and wish them a Happy New Year and 2019. I think at the lastest you can write until the end of the first week January. Addresses? You can find all the addresses for the Royals under our "Addresses" tab. Note: A lot of Monarchies outside Europe are not Christian and don't celebrate Christmas. If you wanted to write to them, I would figure out what it is they are celebrating this time of year, or just send them good wishes for the season/new years. What if I don't celebrate Christmas? Don't worry! You can still send the Royals a Holiday/ Winter Season/ New Years letter or card, whatever it is you are celebrating this season. Be aware, however, most royals send out pre-made cards, that aren't personalize for each person, so their reply may thank you for your Christmas wishes. What to write? I very often get asked this question. The answer is, write whatever you feel like writing about. There is no one right answer. As long as you are being respectful and thoughtful, it is hard to go wrong. For Christmas you could mention things like:
Some event in 2018 that was particularly meaningful to you
We have some sample letters/card to the Royal on the "How To" tab.
What to expect? Royals get thousands of Christmas cards and letters each year, full of well-wishes and hopes for the coming year. Unfortunately, most are unable to send out personal responses. Responses vary greatly across the different royals. Most respond with a pre-made thank you, and the response will usually be sent sometime in January, or February (December if you are lucky! March if you are unlucky! & possibly longer for Clarence House). There are sadlysome royals don't send replies or don't reply to everyone who writes. But do remember that it takes them a while to answer everyone. So people may get their replies weeks or months apart. You can check out my replies from past Christmases here. And more on average response time here. Back to Christmas - Main Page
