...to suggest the Queen should take on more staff pretty urgently?

[Scarby9]

Fairly tongue in cheek, but having successfully applied for a Diamond Wedding congratulatory message from the Queen, I was a bit non-plussed to then receive this message:
*confirming your application for a congratulatory message from The Queen, please note that there will be a delay to the delivery of Her Majesty's card. The message will be delivered as soon as possible, but we are unable to specify a date at this time.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

The Anniversaries Office*

Since these messages only go to people who have been married 60 years, or made it to their 100th birthday, I would have thought time was of the essence in these cases.

Maybe the palace could take on a few extra temporary staff to clear the backlog and catch up, or temporarily redeploy staff who would usually be organising royal visits or walkabouts that are not currently taking place?

Or she could get some underused members of her family to do it?

I'll ring liz and let her know x

Wow

Birthday messages are still being sent out as normal. They've been prioritised over anniversary messages.

@lyralalala That's reassuring and makes sense.

My parents don't have any idea they will be getting a message, so won't miss it when it isn't there on the day, but will hopefully be appreciative when it does arrive on a random day in the future - spreads out the excitement!

@FuzzyPuffling

Or she could get some underused members of her family to do it?

Yes, Andrew doesn’t have a lot to do at present.

I didn't know you had to request these. I thought there was a list somewhere and someone who's job it is to keep track of them.

I'm hoping for one this week for my parents Diamond too. When did you apply OP?

@Scarby9 If they do like the message then keep in mind you can request it for their 65th and 70th anniversaries when the time comes. Hopefully by then they'll be able to get it on the right day.

@gabsdot45 You don't have to request the birthday ones as long as the person nearing 100 lives in the UK and has some sort of contact with the DWP for pensions or tax. Theres a team in the DWP who sends a list.

Congratulations to your parents on their 60th wedding anniversary.

If Im still alive DH & I will be 90 on our 60th wedding anniversary. I think both 100th birthday & 60th wedding anniversary should be a priority. 😊

I thought you always had to request them several months in advance anyway (for anniversaries). When my grandparents had their diamond wedding, their children had applied for it "at least" 4 months earlier so that it should arrive on time! Or maybe they were just extra keen

May be she's furloughed a lot of the staff? or some are vulnerable and shielding?

You'll get your telemessage. don't fret over something so trivial.

She’s probably misplaced her reading glasses. Very common in those over 90. They’ll turn up under a corgi or something and she’ll get going again.

@gabsdot45
You apply here www.royal.uk/anniversary-messages-0
You need a photo of the original marriage certificate, which was a fun challenge since I couldn't enter my parents' house due to coronavirus shielding, and I wanted it to be a surprise.

....Don't say it, don't say it, Don't say it, don't say it, Don't say it, don't say it...

Okay I'll say it. There's a global pandemic going on. Lots of people have died, half a million people will have been made redundant next month, people are struggling to feed their kids. Surely your priority isn't having a civil servant write a card...?

I'm sorry to be so blunt and I'm happy for your parents but... seriously?

Can you imagine if she outsourced it to the Yorks? You'd get signed photos and glitter and a voucher for Pizza Express everything tucked into the envelope, as a surprise. You'd probably have to pay the Royal Mail delivery fee, though, because they'd forgotten to put a stamp on.

Sophie Wessex would do a more discreet job.

@amijustparanoidorjuststoned, isn't what she's getting at that, at a time like this, the queen (being loaded) could kinda afford to give jobs to some of those people who've lost them?!

It is taking the cake a bit to be all 'ooh, we just don't have the staff' when you have a country full of people staring into unemployment, isn't it?

@jessstan2
I am not fretting - so much more to fret over just in relation to my parents at this time. This is really really not important in the scheme of things, although I hope the message will give them a distraction and moment of joy and topic of convetsation for a while.
My OP says it is tongue in cheek, but the message from the palace or wherever did make me wonder about how long centenarians might be expected to keep going to see their card!

Everything you get delivered is subject to delay because delivery firm including the Post Office have to operate socially distanced.

I ordered a diamond wedding anniversary greeting from the Queen, I bought a copy of the wedding certificate to send with it.

Make sure you put the recipient's address and not your own voice of experience especially if you apply a bit close to the deadline

The postman knocked at the door to hand it over as well, he must have known what it was.

@amijustparanoidorjuststoned
Absolutely not a priority for me at all! More a distraction from all the real priorities I don't want to think about 24/7.
My OP does say it is tongue in cheek.

Does she hand write them personally? It would have been just as quick to send the bloody congratulations message, as a message telling you the message itself will be delayed!

It normally arrives at the local sorting office a few days before the anniversary date .(with the date to be delivered on it)The sorting office have to notify anniversaries office it has been recieved and then notify again when delivered . I ordered one for an anniversary and the postie told me all about it . This was pre covid but I only ordered about 2 weeks in advance . I think they are maybe just trying to cover themselves as some post is still delayed etc.

There's always one. On every thread. Even if the OP posts about it being tongue in cheek or lighthearted