Monday, October 15, 2018

Queen Paola of Belgium - Birthday Reply (2018)

Today, I received a reply from Queen Paola of Belgium. I had written to her last month for her 81st birthday.

The front of the envelope features a purple crown and the name of Queen Paola's official residence, Belvédère (Castle). The stamp on the bottom left says "Service du Roi/ Service of the King."



Inside is a typed card, with printed on signature.


The message is in French, one of Belgium's official languages, and translates to:
Belvédère Castle
September 2018 
With all my heart, thank you very much for your kind greetings and thoughts on the occasion of my birthday,
Paola

 Back to Replies - Main Page
Posted by at No comments:

Writing to Prince Harry & Duchess Meghan for their Pregnancy Announcement

If you would like to congratulate Prince Harry & Duchess Meghan on the announcement they are expecting their 1st child, you can write to them at:
TRH Duke & Duchess of Sussex
Clarence House 
London SW1A 1BA
UNITED KINGDOM

They should reply with their usual postcard sized photo with typed message on the back.  It should be something similar to the reply for the Cambridge's pregnancy. 



Expect longer response times, as they will be getting a lot more mail and are still behind on replies for Prince Louis's birth & Sussex wedding. So, while some of you may get a reply quickly, some of us may be waiting for many months.
Posted by at 2 comments:

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Belgium Royal Replies - Main Page

We are in the process of moving the replies, as we have broken them up by couple/family.
Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, October 11, 2018

York Family Replies - Main Page

Prince Andrew's Badge Modified for 2020 York Family Christmas Card

Here are my replies for the Yorks:


2023
2021
2020
2019
Birthday:
Other: 
2018
Birthday:
  • Andrew
  • Eugenie
  • Sarah (Plus note for Eugenie's Wedding)
Other:
2017
Birthday:
Other:
2016
Birthday:
Other:
2015
Birthday:
Other:
2014
Birthday:
  • Sarah
Back to Replies - Main Page
Posted by at 3 comments:

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Prince Harry - Birthday Reply (2018)

A reply arrived today from the UK. I had written to Prince Harry in September for his birthday.

The reply is the usual photo card.


I didn't get a photo reply last year, I got a letter. But I did see last year's reply, and it used the same photo. The photo was taken by Chris Radburn on December 6th, 2016, during Prince Harry's visit to Guyana during his Caribbean tour.


The message reads: 
The Duke of Sussex is most grateful to you for writing as you did on the occasion of his 34th birthday. It really was so thoughtful of you and His Royal Highness sends you his warmest thanks and best wishes. 
----
Note: Clarence House is still working on sending out replies for all the different events. So don't worry if you haven't gotten a reply for Prince Louis's birth, Sussex wedding, etc. There are a lot of us still waiting.

And with all the mail they receive, Clarence House doesn't answer things in the order they arrive at their office. They just get to things when they get to it.

Back to Replies - Main Page
Posted by at 1 comment:

Friday, October 5, 2018

Writing to Princess Eugenie & Jack Brooksbank for their Wedding

The Royals absolutely love to get letters and cards from the public, and special occasions like a Royal Wedding is no different!

When to write?
I would write after the wedding, as you may want to comment on the events, and your feelings about everything. And don't worry if you don't get your letter out right away. A week or two after the event is a very acceptable time frame to send your congratulations. (& honestly, given how much mail they are going to receive, a slightly latter reply is fine.)

How to address the couple?
I'm not sure exactly how they will be styled post-wedding, but it will probably be something like "HRH Princess Eugenie & Mr. Jack Brooksbank." There are a lot of different ways you can address the couple in your letter, depending on if you want to be more formal and correct or more informal and every day. As long as you are being respectful and thoughtful, it is hard to go wrong. Here are just a few options:

Envelope
  • HRH Princess Eugenie & Mr. Jack Brooksbank
  • Mr. & Mrs. Jack Brooksbank
  • Jack & Eugenie Brooksbank
  • Eugenie & Jack
  • Princess Eugenie & Jack
  • Etc. 
"Dear _," Line
  • Your Royal Highness & Mr. Brooksbank
  • Mr. & Mrs. Brooksbank
  • Eugenie & Jack
  • Etc.
Note: Princess Eugenie will no longer be "of York" after the wedding. Children only use their parent's territorial designation until they get married, or get their own title.

Where to send your letter/card to?
Letter to the couple should be sent to Prince Andrew's office at Buckingham Palace.

Duke of York's Office
Buckingham Palace
London SW1A 1AA
UNITED KINGDOM


What to write?
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.

You can send them a card or letter with a short, simple acknowledgment. Or you can gush about your feelings about the wedding and how amazing this and that was. (But do keep your letter to 1-page max!) 

Can I send a Gift?
The Royals prefer that well-wishers make a donation to charity in lieu of sending a gift. Eugenie & Jack have not announced any specific charities they would like donations to be sent to. So feel free to donate to any cause that is meaningful to you. If you can't think of one, I would suggest donating to one of Princess Eugenie's Patronages, or some local cause that is meaningful to you. 

And yes, it is perfectly fine to mention in your letter/card that you made a donation on their behalf to charity. They would love to hear about it. 

What to expect?
Expect a much longer response time than usual! (I would expect at least 2-4 month, but it could even take as long as 6 months. And as always, they reply to letters as they get to them. So, just because someone got a reply, doesn't mean you will get yours in the next few days or weeks. It takes months to get through all the mail for a major event like this.)

 The couple will likely reply with a card, similar to their engagement reply. 

Posted by at 3 comments:

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Writing a Letter of Condolence

My condolence cards. 

A letter of condolence is a very sad thing to write. You write to the family, to send them your sympathies after the loss of a loved one.

 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 the address here. In this post, I will just go into the specifics of a letter of condolence.

 Who to write to?
Most of the time this is obvious. Usually, you send a letter of condolence to the closest living family member.

 But sometimes it this can be difficult, you're not sure who the closest family member is, or aren't that familiar with the close family, as they aren't a part of the immediate royal family, etc.

 To figure out who to write to, ask yourself the following questions:
  • How is the media describing the person who has passed away? (E.g. The headlines may say something like [Royal Name]'s Uncle/Brother/Cousin passed away).
  • Who released a statement about the person's passing?
  • Who was mentioned in the obituary?
  • Who attended the funeral?
  • Who do you have an address for?
  • Who is a working Royal?
  • Who responds to letters?
  • etc.
Who you send your letters to, and where you send it, may affect if you get a reply and what you will get.

 I usually send my letter of condolence to one person and write at the beginning that I'm sending my condolences to you and your family.

 If you are really stumped on who to send your letter of condolence to, you can always address your letter to "The Family of [person who passed away]."

 When to write?
Don't feel like you need to write the minute you hear the news. 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 or shortly after the 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 that person who has passed away
    • Were they your favorite? Why?
    • What did you admire about them?
  • Share a favorite memory
    • How will you remember the person who has passed?
    • What were their best strengths or characteristics?
  • Let the family know they will be in your thoughts/prayers 

Handwrite vs. Typed?
There is this old 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 is longer.

 Back to "How To" - Main Page
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)