Requesting A Birthday Card From The Queen

Requesting A Birthday Card From The Queen

I think most people who know me, will be aware I much prefer to write letters, rather than use e-mail. It's not so much that I am a technophobe, I just prefer that personal "touch" - literally handling a sheet of paper or a card, writing the letter or message, addressing the envelope, and then posting it to the recipient. I once wrote a poem about this:

A Valentine Verse

We may all be ultra-modern

With mobiles, voice and text;

But with all of these devices,

We can be sorely vexed.

We need a touch of mystery

And of one thing I am sure:

Nothing beats the gentle plop

Of post, landing on the floor.

I'm waiting for that special card,

Picked with love and care,

From that one darling other,

Whose life I want to share.

So, to the Royal Mail, this plea

Is made with all my heart:

On St. Valentine's, can you please

Play your major part?

It might be called "snail mail" by some

But for romance, it's best:

You cannot tuck an e-mail

Up close against your chest!

but I have to confess that, as long as everything works properly, e-mail is quick! If I have someone to guide me, and reassure me I am doing everything correctly, I'm happy to have a go with ordering things on-line.

So it was, I decided to apply to the Anniversaries Office on-line, and request a birthday card for Mum, from Her Majesty: and it really was simple. There was also a phone number to call if I wanted a helping hand, but I didn't need to use it, and everything went through very smoothly.

There was also an option to request the card up to arrive up to five days before the big day - this is in case a party has been arranged - so I asked for it to be delivered on 25 October, so that we would have it in good time, and take it with us to The Ritz.

There followed reassuring e-mails from the Anniversaries Office, confirming everything was in hand. I told Mum that we had heard from Buckingham Palace, and she should soon be receiving a birthday card from the Queen; Mum was thrilled to bits!

The days soon passed, until on Friday, 25 October, our favourite Postman rang the doorbell, and stood there ready to hand us Mum's Royal birthday card, by Special Delivery, guaranteed by 1 p.m. He had a huge smile on his face - all the postmen and ladies recognise these missives from the Palace - and said, "I think someone has a big birthday coming up!"

The card was inside in a royal blue envelope, with EIIR on it, and "To be Delivered on 25/10" written on the top: a truly Royal Mail item!

A week or two earlier, we had also received a couple of phone calls from the Department of Work and Pensions, to check Mum would indeed be celebrating her birthday on 28 October, and I did wonder if they were also making sure Mum was actually still with us...!  However, at the same time as our Postman delivered the card from the Queen, he had another envelope to give to Mum, also by Special Delivery, guaranteed by 1 p.m. It contained a "telegram" from Dr Therese Coffey MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. That was an unexpected bonus, and Mum was pleased to receive it as well.

I remember telegrams from the past - I think one of the last telegrams I ever received was more than 50 years ago, so my memory might be a little hazy, but as I recall in the 70s, they were wonderful for getting information to people who were not on the phone. I was working in London, and one evening the telegram boy delivered one from my fiancé in Portsmouth. He had planned to come up to London at the weekend and take me out, but now he had to let me know that, at very short notice, he had to go on sea trials with a new Royal Navy vessel instead. I was disappointed, but the job took priority, and at least I knew what was happening. I remember telegrams being delivered in orangey-coloured envelopes, with the typed message printed on thin strips, which were then stuck onto a sheet of paper. After every sentence, the word "stop" was always included, and as you paid for every word, this tended to up the cost! I have since read somewhere that for military telegrams, the word "stop" was used to prevent any ambiguity in orders contained in the message.

With all the modern methods of communication, I think telegrams were phased out years ago, but it was a nostalgic reminder of the past for Mum to get a card officially designated as a telegram; it's good the "telegram" title is still retained for occasions like Mum's 100th birthday.

With Mum's birthday card from the Queen safely in our possession, we were all ready for the start of the best birthday weekend.