Duchess of Gloucester Birthday & Denmark Anniversary Reply (2017)

Two Royal replies to share.

Duchess of Gloucester

This first one is from the UK! I had written to the Duchess of Gloucester last month for her 71st Birthday. This reply came last week, a little less than a month after her birthday, which is a good response time. My replies from the two previous years came a little earlier, but I think I had written a little earlier then.

The envelope is the standard one from the Gloucesters. Unlike the other British Royal, the Gloucesters doesn't have a monogrammed envelope. Instead, they stamp their envelope to mark where it came from. Part of this decision is likely because they get their envelopes from a different supplier than most of the other British royals. The Gloucesters use Conqueror by Arjowiggins. Most of the other Royals use Wren Press, which holds a royal warrant from the Queen & Prince Charles.

The Duke and Duchess share an office, so the Duchess doesn't have a separate stamp.

The card has a simple, generic pre-typed message, that could be used for a lot of different things. The monogram is a crown with an intertwined R & B, the Duke & Duchess's initials (Richard & Birgitte). We don't see the British Royals use joint monograms often, so this is nice. This is the first reply I have gotten from the Gloucesters with their joint monogram.

It's interesting to compare the different birthday replies from the Duchess over the years. In 2015, I got a personal letter in reply. In 2016, I got a form letter about her birthday. And this year a generic "thank you" card. 

It is not unusual to see Royal send out both personal and generic replies.They get so much mail they can't send out a personal reply to everyone who writes, so most get a generic form reply. But many Royal offices do try to send out a few personal replies to some of the more touching letters and cards. 

The card's text & monogram are embossed (raised), which is lovely! It gives the card a very nice feel. I think it is an especially nice touch that the message is the same font as the monogram.

Queen Margrethe & 

Prince Henrik of Denmark

I got this reply at the beginning of the month. Sorry, I've been a bit lazy about making a post. I had written to Queen Margrethe & Prince Henrik for their 50th wedding anniversary, last month. 

It's a typical reply from Queen Margrethe. It's a form letter. They filled in my name, and which ever aide-de-camp was working that day signed it. 

Obviously, Prince Henrik is in our thoughts right now as he was hospitalized on Thursday with a leg infection from a wound. Henrik had Angioplasty surgery on Monday. The surgery helped clear a blocked artery, which was probably making the infection a lot worse. Prince Henrik is expected to be released tomorrow (Wednesday).

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