The front of the envelope is the usual from the Spain Royals. The back of the envelope is blank.
Inside is a letter from King Felipe written on behalf of himself and the Royal Family. This is the first letter I've gotten from Spain that was from the actual royal, not sent from a member of staff. Certainly, this is a form letter that would be sent out to pretty much everyone who sent their condolences. So, it was not personally written to me. But, I rather like the personal approach of having the letter written by the King. I think it is very appropriate given that this is about the death of his aunt.
And I think it is absolutely fine that the letter comes from King Felipe, rather than the person I send it to, King Juan Carlos. It makes a lot of sense to have one reply that can be used for everyone who sends a letter of condolence, instead of having a bunch based on who exactly the well-wisher addressed their letter of condolence to. And given that King Juan Carlos is now retired from all royal duties, he doesn't have an office full of staff anymore. This is the 2nd time I've written to King Juan Carlos and gotten a reply from Felipe's office.
The letter reads:
Office of His Majesty The King
Palacio De La Zarzuela6th February 2020[My Name & Address]
From His Majesty The King of Spain
His Majesty The King and his family are grateful for the condolences and expressions of affection received on the occasion of the death of Her Royal Highness The Infanta Doña Pilar de Borbon, Duchess of Badajoz (Rest in Peace).
Felipe R.
I spend a bit of time trying to figure out what (D.E.P.) meant at the end of the letter. At first, I thought this was referencing some order that Pilar had received. But then I found out it translates to R.I.P. or "Rest in Peace." I thought that was an especially lovely touch.
The "R." at the end of King Felipe's name stands for King in Spanish (Rey) & Latin (Rex).
The stationary is basically the same as all my past letters from Spain. However, this letter is the first one I've received to simply say "Casa De S.M. El Rey" at the top instead of giving the senders title/department.
Back to Replies - Main Page
