Royal Response to Manchester Attack (2017)

UK

"The whole nation has been shocked by the death and injury in Manchester last night of so many people, adults and children, who had just been enjoying a concert.

I know I speak for everyone in expressing my deepest sympathy to all who have been affected by this dreadful event and especially to the families and friends of those who have died or were injured.

I want to thank all the members of the emergency services, who have responded with such professionalism and care.

And I would like to express my admiration for the way the people of Manchester have responded, with humanity and compassion, to this act of barbarity.

ELIZABETH R."

Belgium 

Our thoughts are with the victims and injured in #Manchester & their families. Our deepest condolences to the people of the United Kingdom.

— Belgian Royal Palace (@MonarchieBe) May 23, 2017

Denmark 

"Your Majesty,

It was with profound shock and sadness that I received the news of the dreadful attacks on innocent predominantly young people gathered in Manchester on 22 May 2017.

In this difficult time, my heartfelt sympathy is with you and with the British people. Please accept my deepest sympathy with the victims and my sincere condolences to their families.

I pray that the death toll and number of injured will not rise further.


Margrethe R."

Jordan 

His Majesty King Abdullah II condemns the Manchester blast and offers condolences to British Prime Minister Theresa May #Jordan

— RHC (@RHCJO) May 23, 2017

Luxembourg

"Your Majesty,

It is with great pain that the Grand Duchess and I have learned of the Tragedy that Occurred in Manchester last night. We are particularly horrified to learn that so many young people were present and are counted amongst the victims and the wounded. 

The Luxembourg people join us in expressing to Your Majesty our most heartfelt sympathy. Our thoughts and prayers go out the victims and their families. 

Henri
Grand Duke of Luxembourg"

Monaco

"Your Majesty, 

It is with a deep emotion that I learnt of the unspeakable tragedy in Manchester.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the grieving families of the innocent victims of this new act of violence.

On behalf of the people of Monaco, my family and myself, allow us to express our feelings of deep pain and sorrow. 

Let me assure Your Majesty of our solidarity for the Victims and their families. 

Albert, Prince of Monaco" 

Netherlands

“We are profoundly saddened by the horrific attack in Manchester which has claimed the lives of so many young people. We sympathise deeply with all the parents who have received the dreadful news that their child has died, and with the victims’ other grieving relatives and friends. Our thoughts are also with those who are anxiously awaiting news about the fate of their loved ones.”

Norway  

"I was deeply saddened by the tragic news of the terror attack in Manchester, resulting in the loss of so many lives and inflicting such dreadful injuries. I extend my condolences and ask you to convey the deepest sympathy of the Norwegian people to the bereaved families and to those who are injured. Harald R"

Spain 

"There are no words to condemn these murderers. The rule of law will not surrender to terrorism. Spain with Manchester and United Kingdom."

No hay palabras para condenar a estos asesinos. El Estado de Derecho no se rendirá ante el terrorismo. España con Manchester y Reino Unido.

— Casa de S.M. el Rey (@CasaReal) May 23, 2017

Sweden

"It's sad as the Queen and I received the message of the horrific deed in Manchester, UK.

This deed is another attack against the open and tolerant society that we all want to live in. It is important that we stand united together against this unimaginable evil.

My and the Royal family's thoughts go to the victims, their families and to the whole British people. "

---

I haven't seen any messages from Liechtenstein. They may have sent their condolences privately. 

Wimbledon 2017 - Royal Attendance

The Royals almost always sit in the Royal Box at Centre Court. The day's matches in the Centre Court usually begin at 1 PM. 

Royal attendance is not usually announced in advance. Except for Duchess of Gloucester (President of LTA) & Duke of Kent (Presidents of Wimbledon), and occasionally Duchess Kate (New Patron of LTA & Wimbledon) & Duchess Camilla.

Expect some of their extended family, (i.e. Middletons, Camilla's sister, etc), as well as a few foreign royals. Maybe, Meghan Markle? She is a fan of tennis and has attended Wimbledon in the past (before her relationship with Harry, and never in the Royal Box). Hopefully, she will bring Prince Harry along to his 1st Wimbledon Match. 

For more on Wimbledon & Who is invited to sit in the Royal Box.

Monday 3rd July

• Duke of Kent
• Duchess Kate
• Prince Micheal of Kent

Tuesday 4th 

• None
• (Duchess of Gloucester attended a Lunch for Volunteers at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club)

Wednesday 5th

• Duke of Kent
• Also in Royal Box:
• Pippa Matthew & James Middleton (Duchess Kate's siblings) 

Thursday 6th 

• Duchess of Gloucester
• Also in Royal Box:
• Micheal & Carole Middleton (Duchess Kate's parents) 

Friday 7th

• Prince Micheal of Kent

Saturday 8th 

• None
• [Usually Sports Persons & Members of Armed Forces in Royal Box]

Sunday 9th

• Middle Sunday (No matches)

Monday 10th

• Duchess of Gloucester
• Duke of Kent
• Princess Micheal of Kent
• Also at Wimbledon, but not in Royal Box:
• Zara & Mike Tindall
• Prince Felix of Luxembourg 
• (Watching matches on Court 1)
• Carole Middleton & Pippa Matthew (Duchess Kate's mother & sister) 

Tuesday 11th

• Duke of Kent
• Also at Wimbledon, but not in Royal Box:
• Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg  
• (Watching matches on Court 1)
• With Luxembourg Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel 
• Carole Middleton & Micheal Middleton (Duchess Kate's Parents) 

Wednesday 12th

• Duke of Kent

Thursday 13th  - Quarter Finals

• Countess Sophie of Wessex

Friday 14th  - Semi Finals

• Duchess of Gloucester
• Prince Andrew
• Duchess of Kent
• Princess Micheal of Kent
• Also at Wimbledon, but not in Royal Box:
• Carole & James Middleton, and Pippa & James Matthews (Duchess Kate's family)

Saturday 15th - Finals

• Duke of Kent
• King Juan Carlos of Spain

Sunday 16th - Finals

• Duchess Kate & Prince William 
• Duchess of Gloucester
• Duke of Kent
• Earl & Countess of St. Andrews
• Prince & Princess Micheal of Kent
• Lord Frederik & Lady Sophie Windsor 
• Princess Alexandra
• Prince Albert of Monaco
• Also at Wimbledon, but not in Royal Box:
• Carole, Micheal & James Middleton, and Pippa Matthews (Duchess Kate's family)

Back to Wimbledon - Main Page

Royal Ascot Carriage Procession - 2017

During Royal Ascot, the Queen rides in the carriage procession each day, with other members of the Royal Family and special guests. There are usually 4 carriages, each with 4 people. The Queen always rides in the 1st carriage. The Carriage Procession begins at 2:00 PM. (Not every royal in attendance rides in the carriage procession.)

Who will be in the Royal Ascot Carriage Procession is not usually announced in advance. 
For Foreign Royals, Royal Family is in (Green).

Day 1 - Tuesday 20th

• Carriage 1 
• Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip
• Prince Andrew
• Lord Vestey
• Royal Household's Master of the Horse
• Carriage 2
• Prince Charles & Duchess Camilla
• Princess Beatrice & Princess Eugenie
• Carriage 3
• Duke & Duchess of Cambridge
• Prince Edward & Countess Sophie
• Carriage 4
• Peter & Autumn Phillips
• Lord & Lady Fellows
• Lord Fellows was the Queen's Former Private Secretary. Lady Fellows is Princess Diana's sister.

Day 2 - Wednesday 21st

• Carriage 1 
• Queen Elizabeth
• Prince Charles & Duchess Camilla
• Lord Fellows
• Queen's Former Private Secretary. Replaced Prince Philip. 
• Carriage 2
• Duke & Duchess of Gloucester 
• Prince & Princess Micheal of Kent
• Carriage 3
• Princess Alexandra
• Mr. James Swartz
• Mrs.  James & Mrs. Florence Tolllemache
• Florence Tollemache, daughter of Prince Nicholas of Prussia
• Carriage 4
• Lord & Lady Vestey
• Lord Vestey is the Royal Household's Master of the Horse
• Mr. Jake & Mrs. Zoe Warren
• Jake is the son of Queen’s Bloodstock and Racing Advisor.

Day 3 - Thursday 22nd

• Carriage 1 
• Queen Elizabeth 
• Prince Andrew
• Mr. John Warren 
• Queen's racing manager
• Mr. Edward Young
• Queen's Deputy Private Secretary
• Carriage 2
• Princess Anne
• Vice Admiral Tim Laurence
• Princess Beatrice
• Princess Eugenie
• Carriage 3
• David Linley & Serena (Earl & Countess of Snowdon)
• David is the Queen's nephew
• Captain David & Mrs. Elizabeth Bowes Lyon
• David is Queen's 2nd cousin-1 removed. Elizabeth is Princess Anne's Lady in Waiting
• Carriage 4
• Mr. Charles  & Mrs. Butter
• Mr. Peter  & Mrs. Stanley

Day 4 - Friday 23rd

• Carriage 1 
• Queen Elizabeth 
• Captain David Bowes-Lyon
• Queen's 2nd cousin-1 removed
• Mr. Erik Penser
• Mr. Thomas Van Straubenzee
• Princess Charlotte's godather 
• Carriage 2
• Mr. Peter & Mrs. Stanley
• Mr John & Lady Carolyn Warren
• John is the Queen's racing manager
• Carriage 3
• Mr. John Godsden
•  Racehorse trainer
• Ms. Rachel Hood
• Racehorse owner
• Mr. Nicolas & Mrs. Wingfield Digby
• Nicolas is High Sheriff of Suffolk
• Carriage 4
• Wing Commander Sam Fletcher
• Queen's Equerry 
• Mrs. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
• Princess Anne's Lady in Waiting
• Mr. Charles  & Mrs. Butter

Day 5 - Saturday 24th

• Carriage 1 
• Queen Elizabeth 
• Prince Andrew
• Mr. Stephen Knott
• Mr. John Warren
•  Queen's racing manager
• Carriage 2
• Sir Micheal & Lady Rake
• Micheal is a trustee of The Prince of Wales's Charitable Foundation
• Mr. Mark & Mrs. Davies
• Mark is a Former Ascot Trustees
• Carriage 3
• Mr. Bernard & Mrs. Kantor
• Racehorse owner
• Mr Chalres & Mrs. Hill
• Charles is a Racehorse trainer
• Carriage 4
• Mr. Micheal & Mrs. Bell
• Micheal is a Racehorse trainer
• Mr. Edward & Mrs. Walker
• Edward is a Racehorse trainer

Back to Royal Ascot - Main Page

Royals Attending Royal Ascot - 2017

Attendance is not usually announced in advance. The Queen attends every day, with other members of the Royal Family.

Trophies presented are in (Bold). For Foreign Royals, Royals Family is in (Green).

Day 1 - Tuesday 20th 

• Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip
• Prince Charles & Duchess Camilla (St. James Palace Stakes)
• Prince William & Duchess Kate (King's Stand Stakes)
• (Micheal & Carole Middleton)
• Prince Andrew
• Princess Beatrice & Princess Eugenie
• Prince Edward & Countess Sophie 
• Princess Anne
• Peter & Autumn Phillips
• Zara & Mike Tindall
• Prince & Princess Michael of Kent
• Lord Frederick & Lady Sophie Windsor 
• Lady Gabriella Windsor (with boyfriend Tom Kingston)
• David Linley & Serena (The Earl and Countess of Snowdon)
•  Princess Haya & Sheikh Mohammed (Jordan & Dubai, UAE) (Their horse won St. James Palace Stakes. Haya & Jailia presented Queen Anne Stakes.) 
• Sheikh Hamdan
• Sheikha Jailia

Day 2 - Wednesday 21st

• Queen Elizabeth 
• Prince Charles & Duchess Camilla
• Prince Edward (Duke of Cambridge Stakes) & Countess Sophie
• Princess Anne (Prince Of Wales's Stakes)
• Duke of Kent
• Duke & Duchess of Gloucester 
• Prince & Princess Michael of Kent
• Princess Alexandra
• Princess Haya & Sheikh Mohammed (Jordan & Dubai, UAE) 
• Sheikh Hamdan ??
• Sheikha Jailia

Day 3 - Thursday 22nd (Ladies Day)

• Queen Elizabeth (The Gold Cup)
• Prince Andrew
• Princess Beatrice
• Princess Eugenie (The Hampton Court Stakes)
• Countess Sophie (The Ribbledale Stakes)
• Princess Anne & Vice Admiral Tim Laurence
• Zara & Mike Tindall
• David Linley & Serena (Earl & Countess of Snowdon)
• Princess Haya & Sheikh Mohammed (Jordan & Dubai, UAE) (Their horse won The Hampton Court Stakes)
• Sheikha Jailia

Day 4 - Friday 23rd

• Queen Elizabeth 
• Prince Andrew with Ex-wife Duchess Sarah 
• Princess Beatrice
• Princess Eugenie with Boyfriend Jack Brooksbank
• Crown Princess Marie-Chantal (Greece)

Day 5 - Saturday 24th

• Queen Elizabeth (Diamond Jubilee Stakes)
• Prince Andrew
• Princess Beatrice (Hardwicke Stakes)

Back to Royal Ascot - Main Page

Prince Philip Official Engagements (May - Dec 2017)

Number of engagements between announcement & retirement - 48

Number of engagements in 2017 post retirement - 8

May 4th, Prince Philip announced he is officially retiring from full-time royal duties in August.

May (19)

(3 events in May before the announcement)
Thursday 4th 

•  Attend a Service for Members of the Order of Merit at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace
• Host a luncheon
• With the Queen

Tuesday 9th 

•  Visit Pangbourne College, Pangbourne, Reading, Berkshire, to celebrate its Centenary
• With the Queen

Sunday 14th

•  Present the prizes for the DAKS Challenge Trophy, at the Royal Windsor Horse Show?

Monday 15th 

• Received a delegation from the Canadian Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Charter for Business.
• Attend the President's Dinner for Chartered Management Institute at Banqueting House, in Whitehall

Tuesday 16th 

• Attend Buckingham Palace Garden Party
• With Queen and Royal Family 

Wednesday 17th 

• Attend the Cormorant Club's 70th Anniversary Reception, at the Royal United Services Institute, Whitehall

Thursday 18th 

•  Attend a Dinner marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of Pakistan, at Mansion House

Friday 19th 

• Host Dinner at Frogmore House for The Duke of Edinburgh's Award

Sunday 21st 

• Attend the Regimental Remembrance Service for Grenadier Guards at the Guards Chapel, at Wellington Barracks

Monday 22nd 

• RHS Chelsea Flower Show
• With Queen and  Royal Family
• Hold a Regimental Council Meeting for Grenadier Guards at Buckingham Palace
• Attend the First Guards Club Dinner for Grenadier Guards at the Cavalry and Guards Club in London

Tuesday 23rd 

• Attend Buckingham Palace Garden Party
• With Queen and Royal Family 

Wednesday 24th 

• Hold Receptions for young people who have achieved the Gold Standard in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award at Buckingham Palace.
• With Edward and Sophie
• Attend a Service at St. Paul's Cathedral to celebrate the Centenary of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

Thursday 25th 

• Hold Receptions for young people who have achieved the Gold Standard in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award at Hillsborough Castle.

Tuesday 30th 

•  Hold a Reception at St. James's Palace for the Air League

Wednesday 31st 

• Hold an afternoon Reception at Buckingham Palace for London Youth charity to mark their 130th Anniversary 

June (13)
Thursday 1st 

• Attend Buckingham Palace Garden Party
• With Queen and Royal Family 

Wednesday 7th 

• Hold a Reception at The Queen's Gallery, at Buckingham Palace for Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust

Thursday 8th 

• Received Group Captain Michael Carver upon assuming his appointment as Station Commander of Royal Air Force Northolt
• Attend a Dinner at 1 Great George Street in London for Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers

Tuesday 13th 

• Travelled by train from Slough, Berkshire, to London Paddington to mark the One Hundred and Seventy Fifth Anniversary of the first train journey by a British Monarch
• With Queen
• Attend Evensong at the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace to celebrate the Centenary of the Companions of Honour
• With Queen 

Wednesday 14th 

• Hold a Reception to mark its 80th anniversary of Plan International UK at Buckingham Palace.

Thursday 15th 

• Attend a Memorial Service at All Saints Church to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the bombing of Upper North Street School, now Mayflower Primary School.
• Visit Mayflower Primary School

Friday 16th 

• Hold the Senior Colonel's Conference for Grenadier Guards at Buckingham Palace.

Saturday 17th

• Trooping the Colours - Queen's Official Birthday 
• The Irish Guards will be trooping

Tuesday 20th 

• Attend Royal Ascot 

(Hospitalized with infection 20th-22nd)

21-24th 

• Attend Royal Ascot (Canceled)

Tuesday 27th 

• Present The Prince Philip Award for Contributions to Zoology, at ZSL London Zoo 
• Attend the Funeral of Countess Mountbatten of Burma which was held at St. Paul's Church, in Knightsbridge

Friday 30th 

• Attend a dinner at the Visitor Centre Restaurant at Sandringham House, for The Coaching Club

July (15)

Monday 3rd 

• Attend a Reception to mark the 50th anniversary of the Prince Philip Prize, at Trades Hall in Glasgow.

Tuesday 4th

• Attend Palace of Holyroodhouse Garden Party
• With Queen and Royal Family 

Wednesday 5th 

•  Name the Queen Elizabeth II Canal and visit the Kelpies, The Helix, Falkirk.
• With Queen 
• Visit Stirling Castle and attend 70th-anniversary thanksgiving service in the Chapel Royal.
• With Queen 

Thursday 6th 

• Hold Receptions for young people who have achieved the Gold Standard in The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Tuesday 11th 

• Attend Reception for Winners of The Queen's Awards for Enterprise at Buckingham Palace

Wednesday 12th 

• Official Welcome at Horse Guard Parade 
• Lunch at Buckingham Palace 
• View Royal Collection
• Attend State Banquet 

Thursday 13th 

• Open New Scotland Yard, the new headquarters of the Metropolitan Police
• With Queen

Tuesday 18th 

• Received Mr. Michael Blaylock upon relinquishing his appointment as Commodore of , Royal Mersey Yacht Club, and Mr. John Collingwood upon assuming the appointment
• Received a delegation on the occasion of the University of Salford's Fiftieth Anniversary
• Present awards at the Annual Meeting, at the Royal Geographical Society

Wednesday 19th 

• Attends reception at Canada House, Trafalgar Square to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Confederation
• With the Queen

Thursday 20th 

• Took the salute at Sounding Retreat & attended Officers Regimental Dinner for The Rifles

August (2)
Wednesday 2nd

• Attend parade for Royal Marines to mark the finale of the 1664 Global Challenge on the Buckingham Palace Forecourt

(3rd: Prince Philip officially begins his retirement) 
Wednesday 23rd

• Received a delegation from the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment) at Balmoral Castle

September (1)

(Saturday 2nd: Attend Braemar Games with the Queen and Royal Family)

Monday 4th 

• Attend open the Queensferry Crossing at South Queensferry
• With the Queen

October (0)

(None)

November (5)
Tuesday 7th 

• Held a Regimental Council Meeting for Grenadier Guards at Buckingham Palace

Saturday  10th

• Festival of Remembrance 

Sunday  11th 

• Remembrance Sunday at Cenotaph in Whitehall, London
• Watch on Balcony with the Queen 
• Equerry will lay wreath

Monday 20th 

• Invested with the Insignia of a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order by the Queen

Wednesday 29th

• Visit The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre in London (National Maritime Museum)

December (1)
Tuesday 19th 

• Received Major-General Robert Magowan & Major-General Charles Stickland of Royal Marines with Prince Harry
• Prince Philip & Magowan relinquishing their appointments as Captain-General & Commandant-General.
• Prince Harry & Stickland assumed the appointments

 Back to Prince Philip - Main Page

May Q&A (2017)

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

Question 1: Are we sure to get a reply for princess Charlottes birthday? I'm asking because they thanked everyone on Facebook and Instagram for their birthday wishes and I'm scared that we won't be getting a photo of her in the mail.

Answer: The Cambridges will still send out their usual photo card reply. Don't worry. 
They just wanted to make sure they thanked everyone for Princess Charlotte's Birthday Wishes. Most people only wished Princess Charlotte a happy birthday on Social Media, so they have to say thank you there. They have done this in the past. 

The Duke and Duchess thank everyone for all the lovely birthday messages they have received for Prince George. pic.twitter.com/DAX6RQmbg6

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) July 22, 2016

Happy Birthday Prince Harry! We've received lots of lovely messages for HRH's birthday - thank you! pic.twitter.com/HsnngJEyoN

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) September 15, 2016

Question 2: Do you think Prince Harry will visit NZ after Australia for the British and Irish Lions tour

Answer: Nothing has been announced about New Zealand. There were rumors earlier this year that Harry would be joining the British and Irish Lions tour. I don't seem him being an official part of the tour. But certainly, if he's in the area, I could see him stopping over for a match. There is a June 3rd & June 7th Match which are possibilities. 

Question 3: How is it decided where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit on an overseas tour? How would I put in a request for them to visit an organization I work for to see if they would accept? 

Answer: Overseas trips are usually coordinated by the Foreign Office. If it's a tour, often they have been invited by the country to make an official visit. What places the Royals will visit on their trip are going to be chosen by the Foreign Office, the British Embassy in the country, the country's government, the Royal's office, etc. This usually means organizations and charities that one of these groups are familiar with or has a relationship with. 

I know in the UK, if you would like a Royal to visit your organization it is best if you go through the Local Lord Lieutenant. They coordinate and plan everything for that area. They know when Royals are visiting, what would make a good visit and recommend things to the Royals. 

I'm not 100% sure on who to contact about the visiting an overseas organization. But you could connect the Foreign Office, the British Embassy in your country, someone in your government who would be planning such thing, etc. Or you could contact the Royal's office directly, by sending a letter to their Private Secretary. 

Sometimes a royal makes a short overseas visit to some special project in another country. But this is usually with one of their patronages, and something they are very familiar with. 

Question 4: I send a letter to Princess Eleonore of Belgium on the occasion of her birthday. Do you think I will get a reply? Or does Belgium only responds to letters to adults?

Answer: I haven't ever written for one of the kids, but I believe I have seen replies other people have gotten for children's birthdays. You just got to give it time. 1-2 months is normal. Eleonore's birthday was April 16th, so it hasn't even been a month yet. 

Question 5: Would it be appropriate to send Prince Philip a letter because of his retirement? I would tell him how much I admired his work ethic and the way he always supported the Queen and I would also wish him a pleasant retirement. 


Answer: It would be very appropriate. I think Prince Philip would really love to hear that people support him and wish him the best. His 96th Birthday is also coming up so feel free to mention that in your letter as well. 

Question 6: I sent two letters to the Cambridges on the same day: one for their anniversary and one for Charlotte's birthday. I got a reply to the anniversary letter on Friday but nothing for Charlotte's yet. Should I be worried or do they send out her birthday replies later?  

Answer: They get to things when they get to it. They get a lot of mail, and it takes a while to get through it all. Don't worry. It could take days, weeks, months. Just because you got one reply doesn't mean your other letter was next in the pile. 

I've seen people write for the same event, at the same time, and get replies months apart. I've also written for one event, wrote again a month later for something else and got the reply for the 2nd letter before the 1st.

I think often they try to wait till after the kids birthday to start sending out replies. Especially if they are using the photo that was released for her birthday. 

Question 7: When did you send your letter to the Queen this year?


Answer: Probably wrote a week before her birthday. Lately, I haven't been good about getting letters out as soon as I would like. Usually, I try to shoot for 2 weeks ahead of time. 

Question 8: Did you have letters you sent to the Dutch royals that you didn't get a reply to?

Answer: Yes, I've had quite a few letters to the Netherland Royals that haven't been answered over the years. I think they mainly been when I wrote after an illness/injury/surgery. Also Princess Beatrix for Christmas. 

Question 9: Do you have any information on the Spanish royals? Like do they reply, who do they reply to? Is it possible that they only reply to people sending letters from European countries?

Answer: The Spain Royals do reply occasionally. They just are unpredictable. There isn't really any logic I can point to. It's not a country specific thing. I've seen people get replies and not get replies from the same country. And I've seen plenty of replies to letters from outside Europe as well. It's not a language thing either. 

After Christmas, I did a pool of GertsRoyals followers on Twitter and 50% of them got a Christmas reply, 50% didn't. So it's not that they only reply for certain events. I don't know why they don't reply to every letter. But I have seen people not get replies, and then get a reply, or vice versa. So you just have to get lucky. 

Question 10: I have a reply from Camilla, handwritten on to a card with a typed anniversary thank you message. It looked like it was written in black marker. I had it on display in a frame (behind glass) in a sunny room, although the frame was not in direct sunlight. After a week or two, the colour of the ink changed drastically, to a purple colour. Then, thinking it was fading due to sunlight, I moved it to a dark room but it still continues to fade, now it is a bit reddish. How do you protect your replies? Do you lock them away so the ink keeps its colour? Do you think it's due to exposure to air or to the sun that is causing the fading, or does it fade on purpose, so that we know it isn't auto-penned? 

Answer: Ink fades naturally over time, and will change colors. There are a lot of different factors that cause ink to fade: light (both natural and artificial), oxygen, humidity, temperature, type of ink, type of paper, etc. 

The biggest thing you can do it keep your autographs out of light.  

I store all my letters and cards in binders, in plastic sheet protectors. I use red washi tape to mark the different sections. 

They are divided by country, and then British Royals are divided by Royal/Family. In each section, the letters are organized in chronological order, by when I received them. 



Autopen signatures are written by a machine, but they use the same pens as a person signing it themselves. So they will fade just like a real signature.

Ink from a printed on signature is going to fade just like any printer ink.

Question 11: Can I sign my letter with my first name only? When I write to for example Prince Charles, I always sign with Miss X Y but I want to write to Sarah and I feel like it would look silly to begin my letter as "Dear Sarah" and sign as Miss X Y.

Answer: You can certainly sign your name with just your first name. It's informal and more personal. But at times that's appropriate. I don't think I would do it when writing to the Queen or when doing something official. 

I would make sure you have your full name somewhere on the letters. That way they can use your full name on the envelope. And also if they want to store you contact info it's easier with a first and last name. 

Usually, I sign my letter and have my name printed underneath.

Question 12: When is trooping the colour 2017?

Answer: Saturday, June 17

Question 13: If I write to Hereditary Prince Alois, can I write Dear Prince Alois?

Answer: Yes, Prince Alois is fine. Other options are:

• Your Serene Highness
• Alois
• Hereditary Prince Alois
• Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein
• Prince Regent
• Etc.

Question 14: Is Princess Ariane of the Netherlands Her Highness or Her Royal Highness? 

Answer: All of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima's children are HRHs (& the King's siblings & their spouses). You do see some HH and other unusual styles with the extended Royal Family. 

Question 15: Why aren't William, Catherine, and Harry using their monogrammed envelopes anymore?

Answer: They do still have their individual monogram and use them on occasion. But I think it's just easier for Clarence House to have one main envelope they use for all of them. It also helps when you write to two of them, or George & Charlotte, since they don't have a joint monogram or individual monograms for George & Charlotte. 

I first saw this black monogram in July last year (Although I had seen some black monograms from way back when their office was at St. James). They have started using it more and more, and it looks like it's here to stay.

I don't think they have a strict policy on when they use the black monogram and when they use the individual ones. I've seen people write for the same event and get different monograms.