Princess Anne - Birthday Reply (2018)

A reply arrived today from the UK. I had written to Princess Anne earlier this month for her birthday. And as very often happens with her office, they were very quick to reply. 

The front of the envelope is the usual from the British Royals. 

The back of the envelope features Princess Anne's coat of arms like usual. But I noticed that Anne's office has changed their envelopes. The new one features a darker and slightly less detailed version of Princess Anne's coat of arms. And the envelope is also a slightly different color. 

Old vs. New

Inside is the letter from Mrs. Isabella Ward, Princess Anne's Office Secretary. The letter thanks me for my birthday wishes and my congratulations on the birth of Anne's new granddaughter, which I had also mentioned in my letter.

The letter says:

Dear Miss Daly,  

The Princess Royal has asked me to thank you for your letter dated 2nd August with its kind message wishing her a happy birthday for 15th August and congratulations on the birth of her new granddaughter, Lena Elizabeth.  

Her Royal Highness was touched that you had thought to write to her again and sends you her best wishes for the future. 

Yours Sincererly,  

Isabella Ward 

Mrs. Isabella Ward Office Secretary to HRH The Princess Royal

What is especially nice is the letter says, "touched that you had thought to write to her again." I think it really sweet that they noticed I had written to Princess Anne before.

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Duchess Meghan - Confirmation Reply (2018)

A reply arrived last week from the UK.

I had written to Duchess Meghan back in March when she was still just Meghan Markle, to congratulate her on her Confirmation into the Church of England. I really wasn't expecting a reply, given that Meghan wasn't married to Prince Harry yet. So, this was definitely a surprise to receive.

The reply came just over 5 months after I sent my letter. Which is a pretty long response time. But understandable for how busy they have been. (I've yet to receive my reply for Prince Louis's birth or the Sussexs's Wedding either.)

The envelope is the usual from the British Royals. But you will notice the double postmark. The Red EIIR postmark comes from the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace. The 2nd black postmark is from the Mount Plesant Mail Centre, where most international mail is sorted before heading to Heathrow Airport. The 2nd postmark is accidental. We use to see it only occasionally, but now it's been happening pretty often.

The back of the envelope features the black Kensington Palace Cypher that Correspondence Section at Clarence House uses for the Cambridges & Sussexs's replies.

Inside is a letter from Claudia Spens, head of the Correspondence Section at Clarence House.

The message reads:

Dear Miss Daly, 

The Duchess of Sussex has asked me to thank you for your letter of 14th March. I apologise for the delay in replying. We have been overwhelmed by the thousands of letters and cards received this year and it is taking much longer to respond than usual. 

It was so kind of you to take the trouble to write as you did. Her Royal Highness appreciated your generous words of support and has asked me to send you her warmest thanks and best wishes. 

Yours sincerely,  

Claudia Spens

Sadly, the message doesn't make any mention that I wrote for Meghan's confirmation.

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Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark - 50th Birthday Reply (2018)

Today I received a lovely reply from Denmark.

I had written to Crown Prince Frederik for his 50th Birthday in May. The reply took just over 3 months to arrive, which is longer than usual for the Denmark Royals.

The reply is the typical from the Crown Prince Couple, a lovely pre-made card with a typed message and textured edge.

The message says:

His Royal Highness The Crown Prince has asked me to thank you for your kind congratulations on the occasion of his 50th Birthday.  

Chief of the Court of Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark

The Crown Prince couple usually send pretty identical replies year to year, so it is very nice to see that this year's card mentions how old Frederik is.

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How to Format your Envelope

Some of the most common questions I get asked are about the envelope. How do I address it? Where do things go? How much postage? etc.

These are hard questions to answer because it depends on what country you are from. Different countries format their envelopes differently.

To help answer your questions, I have created a list of National Post Services with links to their website. You can find it here. They should answer some of your basic mailing/envelope questions.

You should look up how to properly format envelopes according to your country's rules. But here is the most common layout. 

Most Common Layout

Front of the Envelope

One thing every postal service asks is to write clearly on the envelope. It can be typed or handwritten in Black or Blue ink. (Other colors of ink may be hard for a mail-sorting machine to read).

Royal's Name:
The name of the Royal is important because it helps to make sure your letter gets to their office. Royal Palaces get a lot of mail each day for different royals and staff. 

You can address it any way people might normally address that royal (as long as it is respectful, clearly understood, and will fit on the envelope).

For example, for King Charles of the UK you may use any of the following (or something similar):

HM King

His Majesty The King

The King

King Charles

His Majesty King Charles The Third 

Charles III

KCIII

HM King of the United Kingdom

You can get more specific, and address HM in a way that is more personal to you:

HM King Charles III, Head of the Commonwealth

HM King Charles of ______ (Insert Realm)

 Mr. Charles Windsor  (For Anti Monarchists)

The Royal's Address:

This part is easy. We have a list of Royal Addresses, you can find it here.

Note: The addresses are sometimes written in the royal country's language. That is okay. Your country's post service doesn't need to understand the whole address, they just need to send it to the right country. Then that country's post service will deliver your letter to the right place. 

We have written the "COUNTRY NAME" in English, but it is best if you translate the "COUNTRY NAME" into your country's language. That way your post service can easily send your letter to the right country. The "COUNTRY NAME" should be written in all CAPITAL LETTERS, so the sorting machines can easily read it. 

Return Address: 
This is your address, where the reply should be sent. Write your address in the way it is usually done in your country and in your country's language. (Although you could translate the COUNTRY NAME.)

Stamps:
How much postage you need will depend on your country. Letters sent internationally require more stamps than a letter sent to someone in your country. Letters that are not a standard size, shape, or thickness may need more stamps. Letters that are classified as "non-machinable" require additional postage as well. A letter may be non-machinable due to their size, shape, thickness, uneven thickness, too rigid, has clasps, buttons, string, etc. plastic envelopes,  address written in wrong spot, etc. 

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List of National Postal Websites

There are some questions about the basics of sending mail, that I can't answer because they are specific to your country.  Listed below are links to the websites of Postal services around the world, where you can hopefully find the answer to your question.

Obviously, this is not a complete list of National Post Services. If your country isn't on the list, let us know and we can try to find it and add it. Or if you have the link to your national post service, and would like to share it with us, that would be great.

NOTE: Look at your country, not the country you are sending mail to.

Europe:
Austria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
France
Greece
Germany
Italy
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Russia
Serbia
Slovakia
Turkey
UK

North America:
Canada
Mexico
USA

South America:
Argentina
Brazil
Colombia

Asia:
Bahrain
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Kuwait
Malaysia
Pakistan
Philippines
Russia
Singapore

Africa:
Egypt
Morocco
Nigeria 
South Africa
Tunisia

Oceanic:
Australia
New Zealand

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Addresses for Current Monarchies (Rest of World)

This list is of addresses for Current Monarchies outside of Europe. If you are looking for an address for a current monarchy in Europe or a former Monarchy look here. 

This in no way a complete list. This is just royals we've written to, or have been asked to find the address for. If you are trying to find an address for a Royal Family not on this list, just ask. 

Bhutan

Royal Secretariat,
Tashichho Dzong,
Thimphu, BHUTAN

Japan

The Imperial Household Agency
1-1 Chiyoda,
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-8111
JAPAN

Jordan

Royal Hashemite Court
Amman, JORDAN

Lesotho 

The Royal Palace Secretariat
P.O. Box 527
Maseru,  LESOTHO

Thailand

The Grand Palace
Na Phra Lan Road
Bangkok 10200
THAILAND

For Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn:

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn's Personal Affairs Division
Chaipattana Building, Chitralada Villa, Rajvithee Road, Dusit District,
Bangkok 10303, THAILAND

Tonga

Palace Office
Halatu'i, Kolofo'ou,
Nuku'alofa, Tongatapu
TONGA

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Denmark Royal Replies - Main Page

We are in the process of moving the replies, as we have broken them up by couple/family.

• Queen Margrethe & Prince Henrik
• Crown Prince Family
• Extended Members of the Denmark Royal Family 

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