The Queen and Prince Philip made sure their royal well-wishers received a lovely thank you note following the celebration of their 71st wedding anniversary in November. Rather than sending a card, the royal couple gave fans a letter which was accompanied by an official photograph of the pair. The deputy correspondence co-ordinator at the Palace, Jennie Vine, replied on behalf of the Queen, saying: "The Queen has asked me to thank you for your kind message sent on the occasion of the seventy-first wedding anniversary of Her Majesty and The Duke of Edinburgh."
"I am sorry that it has not been possible to reply to you before now," the letter - which was dated 20 February - continued. "Your thoughtfulness in writing as you did was most appreciated and I am enclosing of The Queen and Prince Philip which I hope you will enjoy." Royal fan account crown.replies took to Instagram to share a picture of the note and photograph. "Yesterday I received a lovely reply from Buckingham Palace for the occasion of 71st wedding anniversary of The Queen and Prince Philip," explained the royal fan. "I am over the moon to have received this reply and the fact that Miss Vine has been kind enough to include a photo is just cherry on the top. It has been over four months since I have sent my letter and I have quite honestly forgotten about it, but it came!"
GALLERY: The most beautiful royal weddings of all time
The Queen was a 21-year-old Princess when she married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947. They went on to welcome four children together, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. Elsewhere, according to the Telegraph, the Queen receives up to 300 letters a day, an impressive amount, along with invitations from Heads of State and other official correspondence from around the world. As such, her post is arranged by her secretarial staff, and many of which are redirected to the correct government agency, but the royal will be given a selection of letters from the public to read every day – what a popular woman!
READ: Will the Queen answer your letters?
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