My Crush on Charles, the Prince of Wales (1969)

Guest post by: Mary Morris

When I was a young girl, I had a bit of a crush on Prince Charles. I think the idea of this faraway Prince just sung to my heart. So being the naïve young girl that I was, I wrote a letter to him on July 31, 1969.  I wish now that I had kept a copy of that letter – I’m sure it would make me giggle. I wrote asking for a souvenir and I’m sure I secretly wished he would like me, too.

To my surprise, I heard back from His Royal Highness. Mind you, Prince Charles did not personally write to me, but his Assistant, E. Smith, wrote to me on Royal Letterhead. E. Smith’s title is “Equerry to The Prince of Wales”. I believe Equerry means that he was Prince Charles’ personal assistant at that time.

Since 1969, I have moved many times, but I have kept this letter. It still looks as crisp and new as the day it was written. Of course, it was written on a typewriter. It’s fun to think that E. Smith sat down to the typewriter to write to me. This letter is a wonderful souvenir and something I have treasured over the years. The salutation “Dear Miss Smith” and the signature were handwritten by E. Smith. I love the Buckingham Palace letterhead – so regal looking with the red printing and fancy crown.

Even the envelope with the Queen Elizabeth II stamp is noteworthy. It is postmarked from London – and at that time in my life – London was a far off dream. I had hardly traveled anywhere in my life. The upper left corner includes a regal blue sticker that says “By Air Mail”, which made it intriguing to me. The back of the envelope has a red crown that matches the letterhead.

My crush on the Prince was short-lived. I found my own prince and have been happily married to him for almost 40 years. But I still enjoy my personal letter from Buckingham Palace. I wonder if the Palace still replies personally to requests such as mine. I think it would be difficult to keep up with the volume
of mail they receive on a daily basis – especially with the popularity of Princess Diana and the upcoming marriage of Kate Middleton to Prince William.

Mary Morris writes about Front Porch Ideas and Front Porch Designs.  She would love hearing about your porch!

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Filed under: The Royal Family

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