December Q&A (2016)

As always, post your Royal Questions & I will get to them as soon as possible. 

Question 1: Can I write on the envelope - Katharine, The Duchess of Kent? Do I have to write HRH The Duchess of Kent? The Duchess prefers be known simple, as "Katharine, The Duchess of Kent," so maybe this option is OK? Does the title HRH is strictly required in the office? 

Answer: There aren't any strict rules, as long as you are being respectful, and it is something she is called. Any of these are fine, use what ever you feel most comfortable with:

Katharine Kent

Katherine, Duchess of Kent

Duchess of Kent

HRH The Duchess of Kent

etc. 

I would avoid calling her "Duchess Katherine" or just "Katherine", as it may get confused with the other Duchess Catherine. 

Question 2: I want to send a letter to Monaco on the occasion of the second birthday of Jacques and Gabriella. But I don't know who to address on envelope? Should I address for example Charlene or just directly the twins? Also inside envelope, on the letter, should I congratulate birthday wishes to twins or the parents? What did you do ? And how long did you wait for the response? 

Answer: See Question 6 on our "Writing to the Royals - FAQ" for more on Writing for a child's birthday. I usually write to the parents, TSH Prince Albert & Princess Charlene. I would expect a reply in late December or early January. 

Question 3: Do you have the Address for Princess Micheal of Kent?

Answer: The Prince and Princess Micheal of Kent are not "working royals," so they don't have offices like the rest of the royal family and don't receive any funding for their work. And as such they don't normally respond to letters. 

But you can send a letter to them at their home, Kensington Palace:

Kensington Palace
London W8 4PU 
UNITED KINGDOM 

Question 4: Do you write to other people aside from royals? Like Presidents, celebrities or other world leaders?

Answer:  No, not really. 

Question 5:  When you mail off your letters do you ever get weird looks or comments at the post office? Only asking because when I go to pay for the international shipping the clerks will raise eyebrows while reading the addresses.

Answer: I buy sheets of international stamps at the post office, so I don't need to go there each time I want to mail a letter. I just use one of my international stamps and put it on the envelope and put it in the mail box. So I don't get weird looks from the clerk. 

Question 6: I just recently sent 10 letters to different royals on the occasion of Christmas: Princess Charlene, Queen Mathilde, Queen Maxima, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Princess Claire of Luxembourg, Queen Letizia, Queen Paola, Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein, Princess Sofia of Sweden. I sent all the letters on the 4th of December. From your knowledge and experience do you think i will receive at least one letter form royals before Christmas?? And if you think that this is possible, than from which royals that i mention ? I will be really really happy if it will happen :D 

Answer:  I usually get 1 or 2 replies before Christmas, but it's usually a different royals each year. There really isn't any royal or family that is quicker about Christmas replies than other. So I can't really say who to expect a reply from first, except Princess Sophie of Lichtenstein seems likely, because I already received a Christmas reply from them.  

Question 7: What did you address on an envelope to Prince Hans and Princess Sophie? Of course you write the address but did you write just Prince Alois and Princess Sophie or something else?

Answer: As long as it's respectful, and one can tell exactly who the letter is for from the envelope, pretty much anything is fine. 

For Prince Hans-Adam and his wife Princess Marie, you could write:

• TSH Prince Hans-Adam & Princess Marie
• Prince Hans-Adam & Princess Marie
• Fürst und Fürstin von Liechtenstein
• etc.

For Prince Alois and Princess Sophie, you could write:

• TSH Prince Alois & Princess Sophie
• Prince Alois & Princess Sophie
• The Hereditary Prince and Princess
• Hereditary Prince Alois & Hereditary Princess Sophie
• The Hereditary Prince Couple
• etc.

I would avoid things like these, as it's not clear who exactly the envelope is for. 

• Their Serene Highnesses
• The Prince & Princess

Question 8: If I send a letter to the Queen of Denmark with New Year Wishes, will I get in response the new Christmas Photo, which was published?

Answer: No, The Denmark Royals don't usually send a photo with their reply. I would expect to get a letter, like this one from Christmas last year. 

Question 9: Do you feel it would be appropriate to write to the Queen about Zara Tindall's miscarriage? I just feel so terrible for her. 

Answer: Miscarriage is a very taboo topic, that many people try to ignore. But we can't pretend it didn't happen, especially since about 20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage. There are, after all, real people in hurt and sorrow. So I definitely think it would be appropriate to write a short note to let them know you are sorry for their loss, and that they are in your thoughts. 

Obviously, the Queen would be very upset by the news, as we all were when we heard. But I feel writing to her would be a bit misplaced. The Queen isn't really the one going thorough all this, it is her granddaughter. So while you can write to the Queen, and she is sort of a proxy for the entire family, I'm planning on writing to Zara and Mike themselves. 

You can do so by sending your letter to Princess Anne's office at Buckingham Palace:

Mr. & Mrs. Tindall
Princess Anne's Office
Buckingham Palace
London SW1A  1BA
UNITED KINGDOM

Will you get a reply. Definitely not for Zara and Mike themselves. But Princess Anne's office might send some a note back thanking you for your support. 

But yes, you can write to the Queen if you would like. And you would definitely get a reply back from her office.