...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?

How soon is the Anniversary ?

I think the Queen has more than enough staff already - but I hope the message gets there in time for your parents' special day.

Or she could get some underused members of her family to do it?
^^
This! They are none of them doing anything much right now from what I can see!

My GP were married for 66 years and received one for their Diamond Anniversary. It made their day.
Hope it arrives in time.

Please, no more comments about Andrew licking and sticking . However, this task would be the most useful he’s ever been, IMHO.

[quote Scarby9]@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.[/quote]
It's easy enough to get copies of birth/marriage certificates without anyone suspecting. You have to pay, though.

www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate

OP I do hope they manage somehow to get the greetings there on the day. My DM & DF got one for their diamond, and it was the highlight of their celebration (never mind guests flying in from round the world and enormous party etc) and shown to every visitor for years to come!

Happy anniversary to your parents, OP.

Ahh its not the Queen's staff that do it. Its DWP who have been slightly busy sorting out everyone's benefit payments. Money for food or a lovely card?

@TrippinFlippin

I'll ring liz and let her know x

I hate people name dropping. I was only saying so to Pope Francis at dinner last week!

Ooh thanks for the heads up for when my folks get to 60 years married. I didn't know you could request a card from Her Maj. I don't think it's the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) though. It's the Royal Office isn't it?

I also didn't know we were only supposed to post about Covid now. Is Justine planning on renaming the site?

I haven't read the whole thread. I applied for a message at the earliest opportunity for my parents over the summer. The telegram arrived two weeks to the day after the actual anniversary. Why there is any delay at all absolutely beats me. There is no charge for the service, and I would gladly have paid to get it there on time. Ah well.

Oh yes, and another point. I was flummoxed when told on the application page that I had to get a copy of the marriage certificate, as I am a long way from my parents and the Scottish records office, but fortunately my parents got married in Scotland and the Scottish records office has kindly and efficiently taken charge of verifying the marriage records in cases like these, which made life a lot easier for us. Why this isn't the case for the rest of the UK beats me.

@jessstan2

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

OP isn't fretting, self-evidently.

Are you wandering around MN looking for excuses to beat people up? Haven't you got anything better to do with your time?

If the OP is anything like me, she may be fretting perfectly reasonably because she is unable to lay on the usual celebration for such a major anniversary, as many would have hoped to do pre pandemic. I certainly was. My family and I couldn't go to be with my parents on the day as they were shielding and we live a long way apart. I managed to get flowers there and a celebratory message in the local paper, plus eventually the telegram, and my sibling and family were able to visit for the day, so it was OK but not what I'd hoped a few months ago.

Congratulations to your parents.

I'll send one on behalf of the Queen (is it treason to fake her signature?) And then invoice her for my work

Does that mean that because I pay taxes and draw a state pension that if I live to be 100 I'll get a card that is supposed to be from the queen.

But I don't want one.

Waste of tax payers' money. I'd just throw it in the bin.

I recently applied for a Diamond Wedding Anniversary card for my in laws, they did say there would be a delay, but the card turned up 8 days after their anniversary. Not too bad - they still had their other cards up.

But the disappointing thing is that it isn't actually signed by the Queen, it is printed. You would have thought that she wouldn't have that many to sign, so she should do it personally. Anyway they were chuffed to bits with their card, they are going to frame it.

This has been my first ever foray into AIBU - and people are right to issues warnings for the faint hearted!

Thank you to everyone for your good wishes to my parents. They are having a horrible time and it is only going to get worse from here on, but we hope this weekend provide a small oasis of happiness for them as well as a distraction from their situation for a few weeks to come - which will actually be helped by the late arrival of the queen's message, funnily enough.

@pigsDOfly

Does that mean that because I pay taxes and draw a state pension that if I live to be 100 I'll get a card that is supposed to be from the queen.

But I don't want one.

Waste of tax payers' money. I'd just throw it in the bin.

I read that so many people are reaching 100 now, they are thinking of raising the age to 110.

@lyralalala

As far as admin goes, it can't take much organising

They send out over 50000 cards and messages a year. The anniversary ones are all checked, as are birthdays for anyone who isn't on the DWP system and all the ones that go overseas are checked.

OK, fair enough, I didn't realise that over 50,000 cards would be sent out each year, I understand now why she doesn't sign them all personally.

But the disappointing thing is that it isn't actually signed by the Queen, it is printed. You would have thought that she wouldn't have that many to sign, so she should do it personally.

Are you serious? Why on earth would the Queen sit at her desk signing, what would essentially be autographs, for random strangers. Of course they're printed.

God, there’s some miserable arses on this thread. Yes there’s a global pandemic but there’s other things going on as well!! Jeez!!

OP hope your parents get their card.

This is an interesting thread. What started out as a delightful surprise gesture from the Queen appears to have become an entitlement.

I thought Megan and Harry writing inane messages on bananas for sex workers was a bit insensitive towards the sex workers. The mind boggled!

Congratulations to your parents, OP. In grim times, it's nice to hear about the good things that still go on.

I'm gobsmacked that people didn't know these had to be ordered ! If my dear departed dad had received one he'd have probably died of an (anger) induced heart attack on the spot as he loathed the monarchy and everything they stand for .

There are so many people living to be 100 now that it's taking them rather longer to clear the back log (of the identical mass produced cards) they send out.