For many people, receiving a congratulatory card from The Queen to mark a significant birthday or wedding anniversary is a very special part of their celebrations.

Since 1917, the Sovereign has sent congratulatory messages to people celebrating notable birthdays and anniversaries.

Cards are sent to those celebrating their 100th and 105th birthday and every year thereafter, and to those celebrating their diamond wedding (60th), 65th, 70th wedding anniversaries and every year thereafter.
 
The Queen’s congratulatory messages consist of a card containing a personalised message with a facsimile signature. The card comes in a special envelope, which is delivered through the normal postal channels.

The delivery of these messages is arranged by the Anniversaries Office, part of the Private Secretary’s Office in the Royal Household, based at Buckingham Palace.

The Pension Service informs the Anniversaries Office of birthdays for recipients of UK State pensions. But, for data privacy reasons, there is no automatic alert from Government records for wedding anniversaries.

For this reason, to make sure that a message is sent for birthdays and wedding anniversaries alike, an application should preferably be made by a relative or friend in advance of the special day.

More information about applying for a message and interesting facts about the tradition are featured in this section.