Gert's Royal Replies: June 2022

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

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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.