Monday, November 28, 2022

Guide to Writing to the Royals for Christmas (2022)


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 2021. 

When to start writing?

My feeling is Christmas letters and cards should ideally arrive sometime in December. So I usually start sending out my letters in 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 open your letter, the office staff may just send you some generic reply, as they don't want mail stacking up in the office. Or alternatively, your letter could get set aside and as it is at the bottom of the pile, it could be one of the last to get replies. 

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 for International Mail is:

Monday, December 12th!

This may not get your letter/card there by Christmas, but it should be there in a timely fashion. I don't think it is vital that your letter/card arrive before Christmas, as many Royal offices won't even get to your Christmas letter/card until after the holiday. 

If it is important to you that your letter/card arrive by Christmas you can find the exact "send by date" for your country by checking 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 takes longer for mail to arrive.  


What if I miss the Dec 12th Send By Date?

That is okay. Feel free to continue sending your letters/cards after this date, it just may not arrive until after Christmas, or in January. 

If you are sending your letter after Christmas, I would re-focus it a little and wish them a Happy New Year and 2023. I think at the latest you can write until the end of the first or second week of January. But do keep in mind that writing late, might also affect what you get in reply. Some royals will only print a limited number of cards, and so if you write too late they might. 

Addresses?
You can find all the addresses for the Royals under our "Addresses" tab. The only recent change in mailing addresses is King Charles & Queen Camilla's mail should now be sent to Buckingham Palace. 

(We also created a Google Doc a few years ago with all the addresses for the Current European Monarchies, which you can print off.)

Note: The Correspondence Section at Clarence House will continue to handle the Waleses (formerly Cambridges) mail, as that is where the dedicated space, equipment, & staff for handling mail is located. This may change in the future, and we will update you when that happens.

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, or whatever it is you are celebrating this season. Be aware, however, most royals send out pre-made cards, that aren't personalized 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 2022 that was particularly meaningful to you
    • or a cause, royal visit, etc. 
    • Royal wedding, baby/pregnancy announcement, etc. 
  • What you are most excited about in 2023
  • How this royal has inspired you 
  • What you admire about the royal family 
  • December or January birthdays/anniversaries
  • etc.
We have some sample letters/cards to the Royal on the "How To" tab. 

But it's also completely fine to send a pre-made card and just sign your name. 

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 Year.  

What to expect?
The 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. And, t
here are sadly some royals who don't send replies or don't reply to everyone who writes.

Most respond with a pre-made thank you, and the response will usually be sent sometime in January, or February.  (You might get lucky with a December reply, or be made to wait until March. We have gotten a Christmas Reply in April, May & June before.)

And, do remember that it takes them a while to answer everyone. So, people may get their replies weeks or months apart. You can find a chart of past Christmas Response times here.

You can also check out my replies from past Christmases here.  


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Saturday, September 10, 2022

Writing a Letter of Condolence for Queen Elizabeth II

 I won't repeat the basics of writing to the Royals, as it is pretty much the same for all letters. You can find a lot of helpful info on that here. (And just a reminder, if you are sending a letter internationally, you need an international stamp! [Or the equivalent postage.])

Who to write to:
You can write to King Charles and if you would like, mention that you are sending your condolences to him and his family. 

Alternatively, you can send individual letters or cards to the different members of the Queen's family. I would send a letter to a couple or family, instead of writing to each individual royal. 

I will probably write to the Queen's four children, plus the Waleses. And for each, mention I am sending my condolences to them and their family. 

Address:
The address for King Charles & Queen Camilla is: 

Buckingham Palace
London SW1A 1AA 
UNITED KINGDOM

You can find a list of all the addresses for the British Royals here

How to style the royal on the envelope and Dear _, Line:
When writing to the Royals there are a lot of different ways you can address them depending on how formal or informal you wish to be and the tone of your letter/card. 

We have a blog post that breaks down some ways to address people based on their title. You can find it here. (The 2nd table shows how to address couples.) 

When to write:
Don't feel like you need to write this minute. Give yourself a few days to reflect, see what information is being released by the Palace, family, media, etc.

I think anytime within 2 weeks after the passing/funeral is acceptable.

What to say:
Letters of condolences are best-kept brief, anywhere from a few lines to a page.

Things you might include in your letter:
  • Your condolences to the person you are writing to (and their family). 
  • How you felt when you hear the news
  • Your feeling towards Queen Elizabeth
    • What did you admire most about her?
  • Share a favorite memory
    • How will you remember Queen Elizabeth?
    • What were her best strengths or characteristics?
    • Did you ever get to meet/see her in person?
  • If you made a donation in her honor, you can mention that 
    • Why you chose to donate to that organization
    • What that organization does 
  • Let them know they will be in your thoughts/prayers 

Donations:
Should you wish to make a charitable donation in memory of Queen Elizabeth you can. The Palace has not named any specific charities for people to donate to. But have instead encouraged people to give to a charity of their choosing or one of the charities or organizations which Queen Elizabeth supported in her public duties. 

Handwrite vs. Typed:
There is an old, outdated rule that letters of condolences must be handwritten. This comes from a time when people learned beautiful penmanship and typewriters were a new invention. If you have nice handwriting, I would strongly encourage you to handwrite your note. It makes it more beautiful and personal.

But if you don't have nice handwriting, and a typed letter is actually going to look nicer and be easier to read, then feel free to type it.

I've sent both handwritten and typed letters of condolence in the past. I usually handwrite the note if it is only a few lines. And will type the note if it's longer.

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Princess Sofia of Sweden - Birthday Reply (2020)

I received this reply a year and a half ago. I had written to Princess Sofia of Sweden for her birthday. I rarely write to the Swedish Royals, as they don't often reply.  But Prince Carl Philip & Princess Sofia's office does regularly send out birthday replies. 

The envelope is the usual from the Swedish Royals. With the Royal Coat of Arms in the upper left corner, with "Royal Court" and the partial address underneath. The back of the envelope is blank. 


The letter is pretty identical to Princess Sofia's birthday replies from past years


The letter says: 
Royal Palace, Stockholm 

25 February 2021 

Gertrude A. Daly

[My address] 

 

 Dear Miss Daly, 

Her Royal Highness Princess Sofia has asked me to thank you for the kind greeting on the occasion of Her birthday together with the well wishes.  
Yours sincerely, 

 

Anita Söderlind
Secretary to HRH Princess Sofia



 

Princess Marie of Liechtenstein - Condolence Reply (2021)

This reply arrived last year. I had written to Prince Hans-Adam of Liechtenstein to express my condolences on the death of his wife, Princess Marie. 

The envelope has a black edge for mourning. The envelope features a Birth Tree stamp that was released in 2016. The postmark features Vaduz Castle, the Liechtenstein Royal's official residence.

The back of the envelope is different from any I have received before from Liechtenstein. It features a crown with "Vaduz," the name of the palace, written underneath. 


The card is a usual sort of flat card, with a black edge for mourning. 

The card is signed by Prince Hans-Adam's of Liechtenstein. While the signature is not the easiest to read, I know it is Prince Hans-Adam as it matches the signature on the couple's Golden Wedding Anniversary card. 


The card says: 
Dear Miss Daly, 
With many thanks for your kind sympathy
Hans Adam Liechtenstein

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Princess Stephanie of Monaco - Christmas Reply (2021)

So, I know I haven't been writing many letters to the royals lately or posting their replies. But when I received this one from Monaco this week, I had to post it. 

While most Christmas Replies from the Royals arrive sometimes between December & March, I have gotten a few Christmas replies over the years in April & May. The previous record-holders for the latest Christmas Reply were King Juan Carlos & Queen Sofia of Spain for their 2020 Christmas Reply, which I received in May last year.

From the postmark, we can tell this was mailed out on Christmas Eve last year. The yellow forwarding sticker on the bottom is dated June 11th, 2021, a few days before I received it. It is unclear where the card got delayed. The envelope and card were a little crumpled, so maybe it got stuck in some mailing machine somewhere. 

While this certainly wasn't the cause for the big delay, this reply was sent to my old address, and forwarded to my current address. I moved in March 2021, so months before I sent out my Christmas letters. Monaco, like many other monarchies, has a database, where they store personal information about people who write to the royals, invited to events, etc. Often they use the information from the database to print off the envelopes for replies. It is much easier to do that than to re-enter your address in the computer each time they are sending you a reply. And that is why replies sometimes get sent to old addresses, or why there will be the same spelling error in your address each time. 


Inside is a folded card from Princess Stéphanie. I have written to her many times over the years for Christmas. I didn't get a Christmas Reply from her the first few years. But I did get one for Christmas 2019 & 2020

This card is pretty identical to her past Christmas replies, except it has a slightly different design on the front. Like past years, the front says "Meilleurs Voeux," which means "Best Wishes/ Happy New Years" in French. French is Monaco's official language. 


The message on the inside is the same as past years. The signature is printed on the card and is the same as her past Christmas replies as well. 


The message is in French and English, and reads: 

Best wishes for a Happy New Year
Stéphanie de Monaco

Christmas Replies - 2021

These are all the 2021 Christmas Replies I have written blog post for thus far. Obviously, there is still a lot to add. 

Belgium

Denmark 

Luxembourg

Monaco 

Netherlands

  • -

Spain 

  • -

UK

  • -

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Queen Margrethe of Denmark - Christmas Reply (2021)

This reply arrived earlier this month. I had written to Queen Margrethe of Denmark for Christmas. 

The front of the envelope is the usual from the Denmark Royals. Stamped on the front is "Amalienborg" under the Danish Royal Crown. Amalienborg is the name of the Palace Complex where the Royal have their offices. 

The back of the envelope features The Danish Royal Crown. This same crown is used on the Royal's Monogram and Coat of Arms. 


Inside is a letter similar to past Christmas Replies. The message has been the same for the past few years. The letter was signed by one of Queen Margrethe's Aides-de-Camp.  This is a generic reply that would get sent to pretty much everyone who writes for Christmas. All the personalization is handwritten. The name of the Aide-de-camp who signed the letter is not typed on the letter, as who signed it depends on who is handling the mail that day. 




The letter says: 
Christian IX's Palace
Amalienborg
1257 Copenhagen K

Jan 2022
Dear Ms. Gertrude A. Daly 
Her Majesty The Queen has asked me to thank You for 
Your kind Christmas and New Year's Greetings. 
Sincerely yours,  
Aide-de-Camp


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Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Prince Albert & Princess Charlene Of Monaco - Christmas Reply (2021)

I'm sorry for not properly updating this over the last year with the replies I have received. That is life during a pandemic. And I didn't actually write too many letters last year. 

A lovely reply arrived today from Monaco, the first I have received in many months. I had written Prince Albert & Princess Charlene to wish them a Merry Christmas. 

The envelope is the usual from the couple. It features a basic international stamp of Prince Albert, that was first issued in 2006. The postmark promotes the Monaco 360° pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai. It says, in French, "Monaco 360°, a world of opportunities."


The back of the card features the couple's joint monogram. 

Prince Albert & Princess Charlene's Christmas card has been generally the same each year, just with a different photo and message.  

There are two big differences with the front of this card from past year. The first is the embossed snowflakes, which are a new addition. In past years, the front of the card has featured the couple's joint Monogram with an embossed red border. 

The second difference is the use of a painting of the family instead of a picture. The painting is by Stefanie van Zyl, a Monaco-based painter that is originally from South Africa. Stefanie has painted the Monaco Royals on many occasions, including the Portrait of Princess Charlene on her first Stamp. This painting was personally commissioned by Princess Charlene.


Due to Princess Charlene's health issues and treatment, the family was unable to pose for their annual Christmas photo. The painting is based on a composite of old photos of the family. Princess Gabriella is wearing the dress from the 2020 Christmas Card. The tree is based on the one from their 2019 Christmas card.  And the gold dress Princess Charlene is wearing is from a 56th International Television Festival of Monte-Carlo event in 2016. 

The inside of the card features a tri-lingual message in French, English and Monégasque. The message is similar to past years.  The signatures on the card are printed on and are the same ones used in past years. 


The card says: 
At the dawn of this New Year 
we send you our warmest wishes

for a Merry Christmas and a

Happy New Year 2022

Albert de Monaco     Charlene de Monaco 

The wording of the message changes each year but has the same sentiment, and always includes the forthcoming year. We saw this same phrase "At the dawn of this New Year" used in their 2017 Christmas card


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