Congratulating The Hereditary Grand Duke Couple on the Birth of Prince Francois

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 writing to the Hereditary Grand Duke Couple for the birth of their baby.

And remember, International Mail requires extra postage! Check with your local post office for the correct amount.

Where to write? 

Palais Grand-Ducal

B.P. 331

L-2013 LUXEMBOURG

The media notes released by the Palace direct well-wishers to write to the main palace address. What is listed above is the correct address. While the family does list at Château de Fischbach, their mail is processed through the Grand Ducal Palace. 

(The Palace did direct people to write to Château de Fischbach after Prince Charles's birth, but I believe that was just a temporary pandemic thing.)

When to write?
Don't feel like you have to get your letter/card out today. I usually try to write within 2 weeks of the event. 

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.

 You can send a letter or a card, either is perfectly fine. 

You don't need to write something long and elaborate. You can keep it simple and just give your congratulations. Or, if you want you can write something longer. Keep your letter to 1-page max. 

How to Style the Couple
How you refer to the couple depends on how formal you wish to be,

Envelope:

• TRH The Hereditary Grand Duke Couple
• Hereditary Grand Duke Couple
• TRH The Hereditary Grand Duke & Hereditary Grand Duchess
• Hereditary Grand Duke & Hereditary Grand Duchess
• TRH Prince Guillaume & Princess Stephanie
• Prince Guillaume & Princess Stephanie
• Etc. 

(The Palace will also refer to the couple in English as Crown Prince & Princess.)

Dear: 

• Your Royal Highnesses
• Guillaume & Stephanie

Sending a Gift?
The Royals prefer well-wishers to make a donation to charity instead of sending a gift. The couple suggested well-wishers donate to Fondation Lëtzebuerger Kannerduerf (SOS Children's Village Luxembourg). 

But feel free to make a donation to a local children's charity if you prefer. I usually find that easier to do. 

What to Expect in Reply?

I would expect something similar to the reply for old brother Prince Charles's Birth. 

The Sussexes - Christmas Reply (2019)

A lovely reply arrived last month for the Christmas wishes I sent to the Sussexes. Sorry for the delay in posting. I moved, and so things have been hectic and this was originally sent to my old address.

This is likely the last reply I am going to receive for Christmas 2019. I got 17 Christmas replies this year, which is one less than the last 3 years.

The front of the envelope is usual from the British Royals, and features the postmark from the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace.

The back of the envelope features the Blue Crown with H&M monogram that the couple started using on their mail for well-wishers last year.

Inside is a new version of the usual "Photo card," except this doesn't feature a photo. This is the Sussexes's 4th version of their photocard in recent years.

The front of the card features the Sussexes's join monogram, an H&M under the coronet of the child of the Heir Apparent. This coronet is used on both the Sussexes & Cambridge's coat of arms.

The message is pretty generic and doesn't mention Christmas specifically. This was either done because of the long delay in printing the cards, due to the redesign & The Sussexes being out of the country or to allow the cards to be used for none Christmas related events.

The card reads:

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were extremely touched by your message and send their very best wishes for the year ahead.

The message is interesting. The message on the photocards is usually two sentences. The first sentence has their title and thanks to you for writing for that occasion. The 2nd sentence usually extends "His/Her/Their Royal Highness/es" best wishes to you. So, it looks like they combined the two sentences in one to avoid using "Their Royal Highness," as the couple agreed to stop using that.

It is also a little sad to see that Archie was not included in the Christmas message like the Cambridges do with their kids.

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Duchess Kate - Birthday Reply (2020)

This lovely reply arrived back in mid-March. I am sorry for the delay in posting it. I moved at the beginning of March and this was sent to my old address. So, it took a while for this to actually get to me. And then with the hecticness of everything, it just got put safely away in my binders.

I had written to Duchess Kate in January to wish her a happy birthday. The front of the envelope is the usual from the British Royals.

The back of the envelope features the usual black Crown/Kensington Palace that the Cambridges have been using for years.

Inside is something that is a little different than what I've gotten in the past. It is the usual photocard, with no message on the back. Instead, there is a piece of paper included with the message. This is the first time I've gotten this kind of reply from Clarence House, but I have seen others get this in the past.

Clarence House keeps a set of cards with blank backs that it can use for a variety of purposes. When Clarence House runs out of cards with the typed message for an event, we will sometimes see them do this, where they send a blank card and the message written on a separate note.

The front of the card features a photo of Duchess Kate taken at Amner Hall by Matt Porteous. This photo was released to mark Duchess Kate's birthday this year. And it was the 1st time the Palace has released a new photo to mark Kate's birthday. The photo appears to be taken at the same time as The Cambridge's 2018 Personal Christmas Card photo.

The back of the card has no typed message but still features the usual Black Crown Kensington Palace, along with the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) mark indicating this paper came from a sustainable forest and the photographer's name. 

With the card is a letter written on A5 size paper, which is double the size of the card (A6) and half the size of normal letter paper (A4).

The body of the letter is the exact same as the one printed on the card for Kate's birthday this year. The letter reads:

Kensington Palace 

From: The Office of TRH The Duke and Duchess of CambridgePrivate and Confidential

The Duchess of Cambridge thanks you for taking the trouble to write on the occasion of her 38th Birthday.  

Your thoughtfulness was greatly appreciated by Her Royal Highness who sends he warmest thanks and best wishes. 

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Duchess Sarah's Thank You for Princess Beatrice's Engagement (2019)

A lovely and a bit surprising reply arrived from the UK earlier this month. I had written to Duchess Sarah for Christmas and of course expressed my congratulations on the engagement of her daughter, Princess Beatrice to Edo.

I received a lovely Christmas reply from Sarah back in January. And I wasn't expecting anything more. So, this was a nice surprise. 

The card and envelopes are the same, but modified, as Princess Beatrice's Engagement reply from Prince Andrew's office. For events like this, Prince Andrew's office gives the extra cards (& envelopes) to Sarah so that she can then send out to well-wishers. 

The front of the envelope will look a little different than the usual from the British Royals. There is no EIIR, but from the postmark, we can tell this was processed through the Court Post Office at Windsor Castle. And the PPI Number, W4047 tells us that this was changed to the Royal's Postal account which is paid for by the Sovereign Grant. 

The back of the envelope features Princess Beatrice's monogram engraved in gold.

Inside is a flat card. The front of the card features a photo of Princess Beatrice & Edoardo taken by Princess Eugenie. This photo was released to mark the couple's engagement in September. 

The back of the card feature Sarah's monogram. Sarah does have a usual S with a crown monogram that she has used in the past. The monogram on the card was developed a few years ago as sort of a logo for a brand of tea that Sarah was promoting. The date and signature are printed on. 

 The card says: 

Thank you so much for your congratulations and kind wishes. We are so proud to be sharing this sensational and happy news.  

We are so delighted to welcome Edo into our family. Beatrice and Edo are so excited and thrilled to be embarking on their new life together. They are looking forward to a life filled with love and happiness. We are overjoyed that they have found one another.  

Thank you so much for your kindness and support over the years. 

2020 Sarah. 

This card is actually the same one sent out by Prince Andrew's office for Princess Beatrice's engagement. Sarah's staff just glued her message over Beatrice & Edo's thank you. If you hold the card up to the light you can see Beatrice's Monogram and the printed on message. You can see the full original card here. 

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Crown Princess Mary - Birthday Reply (2020)

A lovely reply arrived this week from Denmark. I had written to Crown Princess Mary to wish her a happy birthday.

The envelope is the usual for the Denmark Royals.

The back of the envelope is usual from the Crown Prince Couple.

The card has a typed message and is the exact same as last year's birthday reply. The card has lovely textured edges.

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Queen Mathilde of Belgium - Birthday Reply 2020

A lovely reply arrived today from Belgium. I had written to Queen Mathilde in January to wish her a happy birthday.

The front of the envelope is the usual from the Belgium Royals. What is interesting, it this has the postmark printed on twice, likely by accident.

Inside is the usual birthday reply from Queen Mathilde, a photo and a flat card.

No details on the photo, except that, is was released to mark her birthday this year.

The card's message is pretty similar to last year's, expect the wording is a little different.

The card says:

Her Majesty's The Queen thank you wholeheartedly for the warm wishes you sent her an occasion of her birthday.  

These expressions of good wishes made her very happy.

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The Cambridges - Christmas Reply (2019)

A lovely reply arrived from the UK last week! I had written to The Cambridges to wish them a merry Christmas.

You may notice these photos are much higher quality than my previous posts. I just bought a new printer that has a scanner. So, I will be able to get much better photos of my replies than I could get in the past with my phone.

The front of the envelope is the usual from the British Royals. This envelope features a double postmark. The Red is the usual from the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace. The black is an accidental postmark that was stamped when the mail arrived at the Mount Pleasant Mail Centre, where most international mail from the London area is sorted before taken to Heathrow Airport.

The black postmark says "Working together to tackle climate change in this Year of Climate Action. Search UKCOP26." This year is the UN's Year of Climate Action. COP26 refers to the UN's 2020 Climate Change Conference that will be held in Scotland later this year.

The back of the envelope features the usual Black Crown/Kensington Palace that we see from the Cambridges.

Inside is Clarence House's usual photo card. The front of the card features a lovely photo of the Cambridges that was released for Christmas 2018 and used on their personal Christmas card that Year.  The photo was taken by Matt Porteous at Amner Hall in late 2018. It's not unusual for the Cambridges to use old photos. But, I would have liked something more current, especially given how much Prince Louis has grown.


The back of the card features the usual sort of typed message.  It is slightly different than last year's reply.

The card says: 

Kensington Palace 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis greatly appreciated your thoughtful Christmas message.  

Their Royal Highnesses send you their warmest wishes for Christmas and for the New Year. 

I am hoping for at least one more reply for Christmas 2019. 

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