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Imagine that your pen pal is none other than Queen Camilla!
That’s what happened to Jessica, an Italy-based royal fan who chronicles her messages to members of various royal families — and their replies! — on her Instagram account, @royaladdicted_replies.
When Jessica sent King Charles, 74, and Queen Camilla, 75, a card for their 18th anniversary on April 9, she received a personalized reply from the Queen Consort herself.
“Thank you for your thoughtful message for our 18th Wedding Anniversary,” the typed message on Camilla’s personalized stationery read. “It is hard to believe how quickly time has flown by…!”
Underneath the typed message was a handwritten signature, signed “Camilla R” and embellished with an underline. Since becoming Queen Consort following Queen Elizabeth’s death in September, Camilla has signed her name with the “R,” which stands for “Regina,” the Latin word for “queen.” Similarly, King Charles uses the signature “Charles R,” with “Rex” being the Latin word for “king.”
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Charles and Camilla tied the knot back in 2005, opting for a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall. Camilla wore a white silk chiffon dress paired with a matching coat for the event and completed the outfit with a wide-brimmed hat by Philip Treacy.
The nuptials were followed by a Church of England service of prayer and dedication at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
The anniversary message — Jessica’s 325th message from a royal! — came in a card featuring a smiling photo of the King and Queen from a December visit to the Wrexham Association Football Club in North Wales, where they met with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to learn about the soccer team the two actors purchased in 2021.
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On their actual 18th wedding anniversary, however, King Charles and Queen Camilla spent the day celebrating Easter Sunday with a church service at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. It was the first Easter since Queen Elizabeth’s passing — and fell on the second anniversary of Prince Phillip’s death.
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The royals were surrounded by family on the day. Prince William and Kate Middleton with their three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis (making his Easter debut!) — Prince Edward and Sophie (the newly minted Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh), Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Zara and Mike Tindall, Peter Phillips and more were in attendance at church, an annual tradition for the royal family.
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It’s not the first time Jessica has received a reply from Camilla — in fact, the royal sent her a thank you for a Christmas card as well.
“So many thanks for your kind Christmas message, which was greatly appreciated,” the card read. “This comes with my warmest wishes for a healthy and happy New Year.”
As with the anniversary card, the typed message concluded with a personalized signature from “Camilla R.”
The Christmas reply, however, featured a smiling photo of the Queen Consort sitting alone at a green wicker table surrounded by flowers. In front of her was a green bowl of fruit and a blue-and-white teacup — appropriate for the tea-loving royal.
Jessica noted that both replies came in the same white envelope, which featured a Buckingham Palace stamp, Queen Camilla’s monogram — the same one from her stationery — and a postage-paid notice from Royal Mail.
