Christmas reply from Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla
Look at this adorable reply from Charles and Camilla!
I was very excited to see the photos the British royals would pick sine they usually use candid shots and there hasn’t been a lot of public engagements this year.
This photo is actually from their anniversary in April. A little fun tidbit is that this is also the location they took their engagement photos (literally, that exact spot!). It’s in Scotland where the couple also quarantined. It’s always funny to me when they pick a photo from another occasion they didn’t use for that occasion. For their anniversary replies they sent out a different photo (I didn’t write, so I don’t have the reply).
I’m glad they did end up using this photo because it’s adorable. Camilla’s two pups even make an appearance! Despite being taken in April, it feels Christmas-y to me.
The photo is a matte finish again, something Clarence House seems to go back and forth on. Last year’s replies are still at my parents’ house, so I’m unsure what the finish was last year.
The message is extremely similar to last year’s, with only a small tweak and overall it’s very standard.
On a personal note, this is the first year since I started writing that I didn’t receive the Cambridge reply first. Oddly enough, even if I sent them all at the same time, I always received replies in the same order; Cambridge, Charles&Camilla, Harry. It’s funny the chain is finally broken, although it would have been since I didn’t write to Harry and Meghan this year.
The next Christmas card that has arrived is from King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima.
WA and Maxima always send out cards supporting Unicef each year. You can usually purchase packs of cards from the organization, as I’ve also done in the past. They’ve sent out the same design for years, usually resulting in receiving the same card eventually if you wrote several times.
But a couple years ago we finally started spotting some people receiving new designs. I was lucky last year to receive a new design that I absolutely loved. It was very colorful and something I liked a bit better than the previous pictures. Most people received the new design last year and we were really starting to think it would be the new staple. Unfortunately that isn’t the case.
I’m lucky I haven’t received this particular card before (although two years in a row I had the same picture), although it goes back to the old set. It’s a dark kind of scene, made to look like an oil painting. Not very Christmas-y if you ask me. I think they either hadn’t used up all the old set (or found more) or repurchased the old set. I’m curious to see what other royal writers receive when they start getting theirs.
On the inside the message is printed in English and Dutch. The first year I ever wrote, the messages were all in Dutch. After that it was only in English and last year it was both. I like when countries include their language. The message never changes and is always on behalf of the whole family. So if you also wrote to Queen Beatrix or another member, you will only get this card.
Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie’s Christmas card.
Always a favorite
Another Christmas card has arrived, this time from Luxembourg!
Guillaume and Stephanie always send really nice cards and they’re definitely in my list of favorites and royals I will write to every year.
When I first wrote to them, they used a generic card, actually similar to that the Netherlands uses. But for the past few years they’ve been sending out handmade cards made by people at the Autism Foundation in Luxembourg. Every year is a different card, but you can always tell it’s handmade from the texture and little imperfections, which I absolutely love.
This year’s card features the Jesus in a manger scene, with the words “Happy Holidays” underneath in Luxembourgish.
For the first time, the card inside is in French. All of the past year’s I’ve written, the card was in English. French is one of Luxembourg’s official languages. I would think they’d print out more English cards than any other language and I haven’t seen any other responses yet to see if anyone else received a French version. I was suspicious that maybe since I live in Belgium (another country with French as an official language), they sent me this version. But my card was in English, so it’s a mystery.
Guillaume and Stephanie are the only Luxembourg royals I wrote to this year. However, that was also the case last year but they also sent me response from Henri and MT, and Louis. So maybe more will be coming.
I also look forward to seeing what stamps come with my envelope, since Luxembourg uses real ones. I couldn’t find much information about these two. They are both connected to World War II and say “Luxembourg Remembers.” Since the date on the stamps signify the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, they’re probably commemorating that. But since that was 5 years ago, I’m not sure why it’s still being used. Although this tends to happen in Luxembourg. I’ve had stamps for occasions long passed before.
I always look forward to Belgium’s replies, mostly to see which photo they choose because it’s always such a nice one. This one was also released on social media this year, something that they haven’t always done in the past.
The front is the same as every year, with Philippe and Mathilde’s monogram entwined.
I’m not sure when this photo was taken. Usually they use one from a previous event or set. I have to say this one may be one of my most favorite photographs they’ve used. The Belgian Royal Family is turning out to be quite the good-looking group. I particularly like the color coordination here. Very chic.
As usual the message is written in the three official languages; Dutch, French, and German, plus the addition of English. The signatures are printed on and the children are listed in order.
Something I’ve never noticed until this year is that date at the bottom is always one year ahead. Personally, I think it should say 2020 since that’s the year the cards were sent and received and we’re referring to Christmas of 2020. They’ve done this for all years past (so last year, 2019, it was 2020 at the bottom). I find this peculiar, as I believe other royals either use the year it’s sent (in this case, 2020) or they specifically say “happy new year 2021″ which also makes sense.
A very nice card, indeed, and one I’m so happy to have.
Silas,
Don’t know the man I woulda become without you. Probably just like pops. You saved me in ways most folks can’t understand. Hope you have a nice holiday.
Love, Ash
