The envelope is definitely different than what we normally see from the British Royals. This is the first time I've ever gotten a blue envelope. And besides shades of white and cream, I think this is the first time I've gotten a solid-color envelope.
You will notice this doesn't feature the usual Crown/EIIR and circle with the date. That is because this was not processed through one of the Court Post Offices at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle. The red 1st Class box does feature the Royal's PPI (Printed Postage Impressions) number, which changed earlier this year. So, we know the cost of the postage was charged to the Royals' account. Since 2001, the Sovereign Grant has paid for the Royals' postage. Previously, the service was provided for free by the Royal Mail. Sarah has been using the Royal's PPI number for years. No word if she repays the Sovereign Grant for the cost of postage.
Normally, the replies you get from Sarah featured an autopen or printed-on signature. One way to tell an autopen/printed-on signature is to compare the reply with others. (And it is best to compare it with other replies from the same event, as autopen/printed-on signatures can be changed for each event.)
Given that this letter includes personalization (Dear Gertrude and the date), and the signature looks different from others I have seen, I believe this is a real signature from Sarah. And one of the few real signatures I've seen well-wishers get from her.
The letter says:
Nov 2nd, 2019Dear Gertrude,
Thank you so much for the letter you send me for my 60th birthday. I always enjoy receiving personal correspondence and reading your kind words. It is most kind of you to donate to Street Child in my name. Street Child operates in over 10 countries and hopes to expand to more. Throughout the world, 121 million children around the world are not being given the chance to go to school because of war and conflict. Street Child is committed to helping millions of children back into school and to transform their lives. Thank you for helping them to do so.
Best wishes,
Sarah, Duchess of York
Miss Gertrude Daly [My Address]
"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; there are the charming gardeners who make out souls blossom."
Marcel Proust (1871-1992)
Street Child UK is a UK charity that works to give every child the chance to go to school and learn. Duchess Sarah worked in this area for decades with the charity she founded, Children in Crisis.
In 2018, Children in Crisis merged with Street Child UK. Duchess Sarah has stayed on at Street Child UK as Founding Patron. And Princess Beatrice & Princess Eugenie, who were Ambassadors of Children in Crisis, are now Ambassador of Street Child.
In honor of Duchess Sarah's birthday and the charity's "Mind the Gap" Campain, I made a small donation to Street Child UK.
For those of you thinking about writing to the Royals for Christmas, now is the perfect time. Our recommended send by date is December 14th, less than a month away. You can find our 2019 guide to Writing to the Royals for Christmas here.
Just FYI:
Normally, I write to all of the Queen's children for Christmas. But this year, I've decided, I won't be writing to Prince Andrew.
If you want to write to him, to show your support, or yell at him, you can. I've just made a personal decision not to. (But I likely will still write to Duchess Sarah for Christmas)
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