William and Kate send thank you cards to fans who write to them, but keep using the same wording over and over on their missives. Photo / Getty Images
William and Kate send thank you cards to fans who write to them, but keep using the same wording over and over on their missives. Photo / Getty Images
The arrival of a thank you card from Kensington Palace is bound to excite any royal fan, but they may find themselves a little disappointed with their missive from William and Kate.
The couple send cards to well-wishers who write to them on special occasions, and while nobody expects a personalised response, the royal couple can't seem to come up with a different message for each new batch of cards.
A response from the Duchess of Cambridge thanking a fan for their birthday wishes, reveals the wording she sends out to well-wishers. Photo / royalletters.blogspot.uk
Not only do they send the same "warmest thanks and best wishes" time after time, but the message on their cards is identical to that used by Prince Charles and Camilla.
MailOnline's etiquette expert William Hanson says that it might be time for the couple to reconsider their correspondence, especially as the Queen has always made sure fans get a different response each time they write.
The faux pas was revealed by an Instagram account Royal Letters, which shows that Kate and William have sent out the same response on no fewer than four separate occasions.
William Hanson told Femail: "There is a standard wording they will use for the thousands of letters they receive each week. They don't have the luxury of time to write a totally new response to everyone.
Haven't we seen that before? William and Kate's thank you message is identical to that used by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall on their cards. Photo / Lettersroyal Instagram
"However, it certainly used to be the practice with the Queen that if you wrote to Her Majesty a second time, you would receive a different reply.
"It would not be the same as the first one, because there would be a record kept.
"Her Majesty's ladies-in-waiting and correspondence team are very good at that."
Same difference! William's card to fans who wrote to him for his birthday is the exactly same as his wife's. Photo / Lettersroyal Instagram
William suggests that varying their responses would be a way for the Cambridges to make their fans feel more special.
"I think to make people feel more valued that's why they should have a range of responses," he said.
He agrees that it may be a good idea to use a different response to that sent by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, but says that royal fans may not have noticed.
Same words, different occasion: The couple relied on their standard wording to thank people who wished them well on their fifth wedding anniversary in May last year. Photo / Paul Ratcliffe Twitter
"I imagine it's a very different demographic writing to them, so it may be that it usually does not get picked up on. But maybe now is the time to change it."
Kensington Palace declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.
Different year, same message: Kate's 2016 thank you card to those who wished her well on her birthday was the same as the one she sent out in 2017. Photo / Letters Royal Instagram
WHEN TO SEND A THANK YOU NOTE: OUR EXPERT WEIGHS IN
Etiquette expert William Hanson explained thank you letters still carry "much social clout", even in an age dominated by texts, tweets and emails.
He added: "Thank you letters should be sent after someone has received a present or hospitality.
"The general rule is one side of correspondence paper for a present or dinner, and two sides for a weekend stay.
"Outside of royal circles, they need to be in the post within 36 hours of receiving the hospitality or five days after receiving the present."
