A Letter to Prince Harry

Every now and then I have a moment of madness! One of these days that moment may be considered pure genius, but for now they've mostly been considered worthy dinner party stories! My last moment of madness was just that, with a bonus... a return letter from Kensington Palace!

I've been blogging now for just over a year and have progressed into the realms of "Influencer" - how very modern (I really dislike that term).  I prefer to call it "Sharemonger" with a specific authority on all things good in midlife! 

Along this chosen path I've learned many things from my younger peers who've been sharemongering for years. This particular story begins with a plan I had, to make it back to England for the summer by way of collaboration with British Airways. And why not, since British Airways has always been my, and my friends' airline of choice when travelling anywhere, particularly between London and Phoenix AZ!

Photo courtesy of kuoni.co.uk

My young peers think nothing of approaching companies for collaboration opportunities. I on the other hand am not so much at ease with this behavior, and being British, I am naturally reserved! It was then that the idea came to me, and I figured if I write to Prince Harry to request some sort of access to his Wedding, then approaching British Airways would have major significance - they'd have to get me to The Wedding on time!

I was already aware that the happy couple would be inviting up to two and a half thousand members of the public - humble and obedient servants! I was just hoping they hadn't sent out the invitations already!

With no knowledge of the selection criteria and a keen awareness that my humanitarian efforts on the British Isles have been somewhat lacking these past eighteen years, I quickly ruled out the direct approach to request a wedding invitation and settled for a more modest hint of some sort of media access!

It's quite tricky, not only is there a proper way to communicate with members of the Royal Family when speaking or writing to them (phrases like "Hi there", "Hello mate" or "Wassup" are not considered polite), but also the envelope must be addressed correctly - Mr Harry Windsor isn't going to cut it!

Feeling inspired the letter came to fruition. In no time at all I had myself convinced that I could possibly get a one-on-one with Prince Harry or Meghan, or perhaps a celebrity guest. I wondered if the Beckhams would be there, who I would sit next to, and found myself fretting over what I would wear!

Of I went pleased as punch, with letter in hand to the post office. I stood in the queue for several minutes which was more than enough time to contemplate my actions... not good! I was starting to think this was a foolish idea. The counter clerks at my local post office are super friendly, which is why the queue is always so long! But now I was beginning to consider what type of friendly discussion a letter addressed to "His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales" was likely to rouse at the counter, how many people might over-hear this conversation whilst patiently waiting their turn, and would I now be considered a total madwoman in public as opposed to behind the security blanket of photographs on social media! I couldn't stand it, I had to leave the queue!

I opted instead to mail the letter via the automated machine. I'm not very good with machines, I feel the need to read everything on the screen and somehow still miss the obvious and get stuck part way through the process, causing yet another long queue in this great American institution. But it went quite smoothly, obviously the letter was meant to be sent!
​

I told my husband about the post office dilemma and horrified anticipation of discussing the letter with the clerk, to which he replied, "You should have said... I know it seems weird, but he keeps borrowing money from me and I'm writing to tell him that it has to stop!" Why can't I think of things like that! Ha ha! 

Four weeks later, a letter addressed to me with the Queen's cypher - EIIR, and franked from Buckingham Palace arrived in our mail box. The back of the envelope indicated it was from Kensington Palace!  OMG... a letter from HRH!

Well, it wasn't a wedding invitation!  It was a very well-penned letter explaining why I hadn't been invited, which to be honest was rather exciting nonetheless. So, the pressure was off for a new outfit! 

As a loyal British subject, to receive a letter that comes with Prince Harry's "very best wishes"  is an honor indeed,  one that will be framed and mounted on the wall of Above and Beblonde's office, a perpetual reminder of another mad moment, a dinner party story, and the realization that I'm not yet a pure genius! Oh, and the need to dream up another collaboration idea for British Airways.

Photo courtesy of ABC News

Congratulations to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. This blog comes with my very best wishes for your future happiness together. 
​

As always, thank you for stopping by