Found this invitation while clearing out late grandparents house, is there a chance it is real?

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It does seem genuine. You must know who your Grandparents were and have some idea if they were likely to have received such an invite. Does other members of your family know ? If you dont know then join something like Ancestry to learn about your family.

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North_Ad_5372@reddit

If you Google it's easy enough to see a genuine one and that this is a poor copy [For example](https://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/products/princess-diana)

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FrancE-78400@reddit

I’ve just goggled (C&D’s wedding invitations) and they are identical to yours and worth £1,500 👍🏼

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tmstms@reddit

Just write to them and ask!

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IsItSnowing_@reddit

“Yo Charlie! You sent me this?”

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evthrowawayverysad@reddit

*left on read*

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Why_Lord_Just_Why@reddit

He only answers if you address him as Chuck.

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djentlemanly-gent@reddit

King Chuck… good job he was a king and not a Nun…

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SheptonCupCake@reddit

If we’re hanging out then he prefers Chuzzle.

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TwinkletheStar@reddit

King Chuck has a nice ring to it.

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pvaa@reddit

Hahaha, on read

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Danelius90@reddit

Problem?

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Dejoykat@reddit

Think they were making a joke on "honored"

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bitterlemon80@reddit

It should be unread,

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superhoops@reddit

On read and unread are different things

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bitterlemon80@reddit

Then could you explain to an old lady what on read means? I always thought it was a typo!

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meglingbubble@reddit

Unread is when someone hasn't seen the message. Being left on read is when someone HAS seen the message, but hasn't responded.

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bitterlemon80@reddit

Thank you!

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Danelius90@reddit

On read is correct

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Gadnitt@reddit

My "Representative of the Next Generation" talks of things "left On Delivered" for items which haven't been read. It took me *so long* to realise I didn't have a clue what she was on about!

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Total_Aerie_3778@reddit

Haha and ask him for an invitation. Who knows you could be a Lord or a Baron of some lands that you don’t know about and have a castle of your own.

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Shep_vas_Normandy@reddit

Good ole’ Chuck always takes my calls, I’ll just give him a ring and ask.

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passengerprincess232@reddit

I was thinking you meant OPs dead grandparents and I was thinking HOW

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dmmeyourfloof@reddit

Ouija board.

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MisterrTickle@reddit

Betty White can show you how. >People have told me 'Betty, Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with old friends...' .. At my age, if I wanted to keep in touch with old friends, I'd need a Ouija board

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AngryBootneckFan@reddit

But you’d need the Ouija board to contact her in the first place….

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Gem6446@reddit

I read that as “Barry white” for a second 🤣

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Bottled_Void@reddit

Pen and paper would be traditional. But a lot of people print their letters these days.

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magaduccio@reddit

I have previously found The Queen to be a diligent and punctual correspondent.

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dmmeyourfloof@reddit

I imagine she's less responsive these days, however.

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plasmaexchange@reddit

Too busy working on her cryptology.

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Choice-Standard-6350@reddit

We still have a queen

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joshii87@reddit

She ain’t *my* queen.

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dmmeyourfloof@reddit

Not really. She's a Queen Consort.

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Choice-Standard-6350@reddit

She is the queen. She was crowned.

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dmmeyourfloof@reddit

Constitutionally she has zero power, no exercise of the royal prerogative without her husband's say so. Queen Consort is effectively a courtesy title.

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cherales@reddit

Last I heard she had gone off writing music too.

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MisterrTickle@reddit

Shes a decomposing composer.

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cherales@reddit

Thank you, finally! (that is assuming you WERE responding to my feeble first joke🤣)

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dmmeyourfloof@reddit

God bless her majesty for appreciating Fat Bottomed Girls.

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cherales@reddit

Did she (ahem) ‘compose’ that one?

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dmmeyourfloof@reddit

I don't know, but it was right up her alley, so to speak.

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cherales@reddit

Nooooo, how dare you ! (🤣) . (I’m also now not sure if my attempt at a ‘decomposing’ joke has fallen flat or whether it offered you a sheer heart attack after all…oh no, I’m under pressure)

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Shoddy-Computer2377@reddit

The secret ingredient is having staff to do it for her.

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wedgewedgewedge@reddit

But she doesn’t have a lot to say...

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kudincha@reddit

Duke of Edinburgh also always keen to share some views.

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magaduccio@reddit

Seriously - she wrote back to my daughter, and quickly too! And to me when I asked for her permission to metal detect on the intertidal range.

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GuyOnTheInterweb@reddit

My child also got back a prompt reply from the king when writing to ask about why they were still using bear skin in the beefeater uniforms.

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icklepeach@reddit

What was the response? I think I’ve heard this before but I could have imagined it

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orange_lighthouse@reddit

I don't think they've found an alternative that works as well yet

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LowAspect542@reddit

Would she be inclined to respond regarding her husbands previous marriage though, seems a slightly uncomfortable topic.

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magaduccio@reddit

Fair. We’re well into the hypothetical, but I feel she’d have a pithy retort, a form of words to devastate without breaking decorum.

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HarrBathtub@reddit (OP)

Good idea, thanks - you never know!

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TheNinjaPixie@reddit

Surely someone in the family would know if they \*went\*? It would be quite a family story.

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khughes14@reddit

Well just because they were invited, didn’t mean they would go

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odmirthecrow@reddit

So true, my dad is fairly anti-royalty so he'd likely decline an invite.

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tmstms@reddit

Even if they do not have it recorded, they will surely have some way of advising you.

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Prince_John@reddit

Definitely this! You've nothing to lose and it's the kind of 'feel good' story they'll enjoy helping out with if they still have the records.

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moonkiosk@reddit

Try to contact VE at St Paul's Cathedral, they are very helpful and they can confirm if it's legit or no.

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Careful_Cup_9652@reddit

My late uncle - bless him - was born with a severe oxygen deficiency, shipped off to a Montessori school up in Scotland, and then dragged back to a life being used as a pawn between two awful parents. One of his unusual passions was the Royal family, and he took it upon himself to attempt, rather rigorously, to call Buckingham Palace so he could "have a chat" with the Queen. If memory serves, and family members aren't lying to me, he frequently bothered various staff all across the palace. I'd love to hear some of the hilarious stories. This was the man who also called monasteries, hoping to "speak to God". Definitely a character.

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GoonerwithPIED@reddit

They won't keep records of invitations from over 40 years ago

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Additional-Novel1766@reddit

They probably would keep records for this specific royal wedding — at the time, Charles III was the heir to the English throne as the Prince of Wales and his wedding to Diana, Princess of Wales was broadcast live to a global audience.

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Gravitasnotincluded@reddit

"English throne" eh?

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you-want-nodal@reddit

As a Scot, I’m quite happy with this phrasing yes.

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LowAspect542@reddit

Well hed have been the heir to the scotts throne too. Whether you consider them separate or a single brittish throne is irrelevant whilst the same person is sitting on them. Also, don't forget it was a scot that joined them.

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you-want-nodal@reddit

I’m not denying he was also heir to be (and now is) our monarch, but the comment I replied to is also factually correct, although slightly misleading, in specify English throne and omitting the rest of the UK. It’s not _not_ the English throne, it’s just that being crowned on it with oor big rock underneath makes him the king of us as well. Light-hearted passing comment on an anonymous internet post, nothing deeper!

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LowAspect542@reddit

Not really, its obviously debated by nationalists but scotland, unlike canada or australia which hold the same monarch but have seperate crowns/thrones, scotland's only remained seperate for ankther 100years after james' corronation to the english crown. With the union in 1707 the crowns were officially one. Whilst the countrys exist as distinct political entitys with scotland having own parliment and legislature, there is no kingdom of scotland nor a kingdom of england, only the united kingdom.

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you-want-nodal@reddit

> Light-hearted passing comment on an anonymous internet post, nothing deeper!

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GoonerwithPIED@reddit

But who would ever be interested in who was in the congregation in St Paul's?

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Additional-Novel1766@reddit

Royal historians. There were 3,000 people present at the wedding of Prince Charles & Princess Diana — the guest list had its own Wikipedia page but it’s incomplete. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wedding_guests_of_Prince_Charles_and_Lady_Diana_Spencer

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GoonerwithPIED@reddit

This is one of the ridiculous things about Wikipedia -- there is no use for that list!

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homelaberator@reddit

I admire your commitment to the bit. The downvotes are most unbritish

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GoonerwithPIED@reddit

Thank you!

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Maxusam@reddit

It’s literally being used here, now, and n this thread.

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evthrowawayverysad@reddit

He says, in a thread where op is quite literally providing a use for this list.

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CameraLizardVlogs@reddit

There's no use for that list for you. There's a lot of people on the planet and I think at least one of them needs that list.

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NoPiccolo5349@reddit

I don't think you understand how much records are kept about significant figures

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TawnyTeaTowel@reddit

It was the wedding of the decade and 3000 or so people were selected from the 60 million-odd population. *Someone* will want to know who they were and why *they* were invited.

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SheketBevakaSTFU@reddit

Really? The guest list for the heir’s wedding seems like the kind of thing they’d keep for history.

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GoonerwithPIED@reddit

Historians won't be interested in that.

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jamesckelsall@reddit

>it would also probably breach data protection laws! If the records are held by (or on behalf of) the crown, they can't be against the law - the law doesn't generally apply to the crown. It also wouldn't breach data protection legislation to keep the list - keeping a list of your wedding guests is a perfectly reasonable household purpose. Disclosing that list might be an issue in some circumstances, but none of those apply in the OP's case - dead people don't have data rights.

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GoonerwithPIED@reddit

Good points

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peterhala@reddit

Of course they would - it's primary source, innit. I know a guy who wrote good paper describing social change based on grocery bills of a Cambridge college over 200 years.

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TweakUnwanted@reddit

Not complete, I assume: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wedding_guests_of_Prince_Charles_and_Lady_Diana_Spencer?wprov=sfla1

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jamesckelsall@reddit

>Not complete, I assume >>The guest list for the wedding, which took place at St Paul's Cathedral in London, included 3,500 people. There's definitely not 3500 purple listed on that page, so you've presumed correctly.

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maksigm@reddit

Hahaha nice

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Twacey84@reddit

We still have records of random shopping lists that Henry VIII made. I’m sure they would keep the guest list to the wedding of the heir to the throne.

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Fragrant_Durian8517@reddit

Why would the attendees at a public event breach data protection laws?

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GoonerwithPIED@reddit

The *list* of attendees, not the attendees themselves!

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Myownprivategleeclub@reddit

You do know it was broadcast on TV?

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GoonerwithPIED@reddit

That's not the same as keeping their names and addresses indefinitely

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SolidWrap6315@reddit

We’re talking about the British royal family in the fairly recent past, not your old Hotmail account

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FrugalBastard187@reddit

This man likes scat porn

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LochNessMother@reddit

Now now, there no call to yuck someone’s yum….

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Bunister@reddit

Historians are famously never interested in Kings and Queens.

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throwaway_ArBe@reddit

Historians love that stuff what are you in about

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OneMonk@reddit

This is literally exactly what historians care about.

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EarlofAnkhNobbyNobs@reddit

There are records of what queen Victoria had fir breakfast, and those are considered recent records.

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HalfAgony-HalfHope@reddit

I bet they will! I'd imagine everything gets listed and stored for the historical record.

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Investigator516@reddit

If they have records of Lady Diana’s pedigree as early as 400 AD, then they have records of who they invited.

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Coffchill@reddit

Here you go… quick bit of https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wedding_guests_of_Prince_Charles_and_Lady_Diana_Spencer

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Coffchill@reddit

I’ll take that back; it seems the full guest list was 3,500 people.

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cloud__19@reddit

Lol you would be absolutely amazed at what we keep records of.

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Fluffybudgierearend@reddit

Hold a seance to ask Diana

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Auntie_Cagul@reddit

Is it a possibility that it is a photocopy of the original that they kept as a souvenir? They may have been required to bring the original with them to the wedding.

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ChronographConsoeur@reddit

It’s not required to bring the invite, the one my family received included a set of instructions specifically mentioning not to bring the invite

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Auntie_Cagul@reddit

Did your family receive an invite to the Royal Wedding of Charles and Diana?

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Crococrocroc@reddit

It's real. I've had two.

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SinclairResearch1982@reddit

Doubt it, the calligraphy doesn't look right.

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PleasantAd7961@reddit

That could be worth a lot to the right collector

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According_Judge781@reddit

Fake. I'm guessing someone got a copy, tippexed out the real names (photocopied that), then wrote their names over it in Sharpie and gave it to them as a joke present.

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simplygen@reddit

To me, it looks like a photocopy of a real one (hence the loss of the gold embossed EIIR), with the original name removed and the new (fake) one written in by someone. The name is written in what looks to be some sort of thick marker, rather than an ink pen, which I think is the tell.

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batikfins@reddit

Yeah the calligraphy is the giveaway, it’s amateur.

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kamikiku@reddit

None of the Royal invites I've seen use an ampersand either. It's always the word "and".

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TheScottishMoscow@reddit

Yeah way too cheap looking.

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Heardabouttown@reddit

This has become "my grandparents tried to wing it into the Royal Wedding"

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AlanBennet29@reddit

It’s been 40 years so it’s obviously a bit worn

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TheScottishMoscow@reddit

It's just really plain though and doesn't appear to be on a high enough gsm for such an important occasion + no gold ER which admittedly could have worn off The marker pen rather than fine calligraphy you see on the originals is probably the clearest tell though.

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Cougie_UK@reddit

The one up for sale had very oridinary writing. Nothing fancy from what I remember ?

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TakimaDeraighdin@reddit

That and the extra space below the RSVP address and dresscode compared to the originals. These kinds of things are a custom print job - the cardstock is a consistent size, and the text placement within the paper is also consistent. Photocopy or replica, and not one intended to be taken as real.

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substantialtaplvl2@reddit

Don’t forget the loss of the Queen’s seal on the card

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jimicus@reddit

I'll tell you exactly what that writing is. Berol Italic Marker. [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Berol-Papermate-Italic-Markers-Assorted/dp/B009HX6NXY](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Berol-Papermate-Italic-Markers-Assorted/dp/B009HX6NXY) They were all the rage in those days. Basically a felt-tip pen with a chisel nib. There is absolutely no Earthly way the Royal household was writing anything with a Berol Italic Marker.

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Gothmom85@reddit

This looks exactly like the fancy marker writing on my kid's "knighting certificate" from the ren faire.

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Minimum-War-266@reddit

They have also used incorrect punctuation and an ampersand (&).

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bopeepsheep@reddit

I have a real BP invitation (not to a wedding) and it's on good (thick) white card stock, with the gold EIIR embossed, as you say. The name is in ink.

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notouttolunch@reddit

You got an invite to an oil rig?

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joffff@reddit

Which would be equally impressive!

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notouttolunch@reddit

I’ve been. It’s overrated.

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joffff@reddit

Not a fan of corgis?

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BuxtonB@reddit

Don't be daft, he meant the petrol station on the side of the M6.

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contrarybookgal@reddit

Aside from that the *quality* and "font," as one might say, of the calligraphy is suspect. I'm afraid it looks rather amateur. 🫤 Still rooting for you that it's real, though!! Maybe the calligraphy interns weren't being checked that day.

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FerretSupremacist@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/ztwkmhpsrnme1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d6a42327c8ee495966a0fbb29d9401db65cc9436 Google gives me this pic and similar, but there also seems to be some variation?

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simplygen@reddit

Presumably a staffer of Lord Chamberlin would have written the names, and it could have varied with the staffer, but it doesn't seem likely they'd have used a pen like in OP's one. Slim chance there was a real invitation, but this is the photocopy that the family showed people, as they had the real one somewhere safe, I suppose. I still don't like the writing though.

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MissingBothCufflinks@reddit

That's 40 years of ink bleed

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HarrBathtub@reddit (OP)

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, now properly look at the other ones on Google, the gold leave is a big giveaway. Still going to contact someone cause the paper is of such a high quality when you feel it - no harm. Thanks!

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Adventurous-berry564@reddit

Yeah and the line to write the name isn’t there but maybe they were a last minute invite? Please update us!

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kynuna@reddit

Yeah, the “calligraphy” looks way off.

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Bunister@reddit

It might have been towards the end of the 1800-ish invitations that had to be written. Perhaps Calligrapher's Cramp was beginning to set in.

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dorsetlife@reddit

The red strip looks a bit fake too

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Nicknamewastoolong@reddit

Updateme

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Renaissancewoman0333@reddit

Not a chance! The caligraphy is horrible- something the “palace would never abide. Probs invite to a watch party

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rinirise@reddit

In my opinion, if your grandparents were invited to this wedding, someone in your family would know. They would've talked about it all the time! It would've been a huge deal.

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xxspookshowbabyxx@reddit

There's a good chance that it's real, especially given that one of your grandparents was head of a parish. There's a certain level of employment connected to the Crown that gets invites for things like this, and I'd think a high level church position would be one of them. My grandma went to a few garden party type things at Holyrood because she worked for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society on Melville Street in Edinburgh. I have no idea if any heads of state actually went to them or if it was a "you work for a thing we head so here's an invite to a party" but she always found it funny how the wife of an ex biker turned welder for Scottish Power was given an excuse to buy a new fancy hat.

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VillagerEleven@reddit

It seems odd to me that it isn't signed but I don't know enough to judge.

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mrs_adhd@reddit

Based on nothing but vibes, I feel like the calligraphy/ink isn't fancy enough for it to be authentic.

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ilovesharks101@reddit

It looks like it’s drawn over the top of the original names, so probably a photocopy or something.

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BeeBeeW19@reddit

I've kept my garden party invite in a frame on the wall

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Mickleborough@reddit

This was sold as genuine - looks similar. https://preview.redd.it/qcm4gx78i4ne1.png?width=1201&format=png&auto=webp&s=1ae052c6970e2f3261e497f175e57267d8fc5a90

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davidht1@reddit

It could well be. There were 3500 guests.

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WastedSapience@reddit

It looked awfully plain to be a royal wedding invite, so I googled to see if anyone was selling one and found [this auction site](https://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/products/princess-diana). I think a real one would have the fancy gold leaf on it, maybe? I don't know if there's such thing as second class tickets or something, though.

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Any_Cauliflower_6337@reddit

You can buy them with the gold lettering on etsy if you want. Why anyone would want to buy a reproduction invite to a wedding over 40 years ago is beyond me but people must buy them for there to be an industry making them.

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dorsetlife@reddit

Could be a photostat perhaps

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Particular_Stage_913@reddit

Haven’t heard that word in a decade or three.

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dorsetlife@reddit

It’s like a xerox.

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Particular_Stage_913@reddit

I bet they couldn’t even make a copy on a Banda machine. lol

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BouncyCatMama@reddit

Or type on an amstrad 😂

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Particular_Stage_913@reddit

Amstrad pah. Fancy new technology. Type on a golfball typewriter lol

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BouncyCatMama@reddit

A quill and ink, too, while we're at it 🤣

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bacon_cake@reddit

People still buy Princess Diana commemorative crockery.

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contrarybookgal@reddit

"Ar Di!"

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Souseisekigun@reddit

Dianabrain is a powerful force

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DryBop@reddit

It could have been an invite to a themed wedding viewing party or something!

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Gauntlets28@reddit

That said, it doesn't mean that it couldn't be a photocopy of a real one!

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fairkatrina@reddit

Yeah my mum got a garden party invite and the EIIR lettering was gold.

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Myownprivategleeclub@reddit

Looks like a photocopy of an original. Even the font is the same.

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IrrelevantPiglet@reddit

Could be a photocopy perhaps.

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Tournelignum@reddit

Partners parents had one as well, they had it framed above the stairs.

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GreyStagg@reddit

What's a draw?

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Scared-Mine1506@reddit

I mean, from the dents and creases, no, it looks like a bit of paper. I'm pretty sure they send those out on pressed swan feathers or corgi leather.

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potsandpans01@reddit

As a former Parliamentary staffer who handled correspondence like this on behalf of the MP fairly frequently I am pretty certain this is real

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Zealousideal-Zone115@reddit

Here are some being sold at auction. Note the gold "ER" and gilt edging [https://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/products/princess-diana?srsltid=AfmBOoozAP-fdkY7dr3O2r3Zc0ar8I6CIJRi0fJYNbQpOo\_hoicXnIzp](https://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/products/princess-diana?srsltid=AfmBOoozAP-fdkY7dr3O2r3Zc0ar8I6CIJRi0fJYNbQpOo_hoicXnIzp) [https://bid.juliensauctions.com/lot-details/index/catalog/521/lot/237047/Princess-Diana-29-July-1981-Royal-Wedding-Invitation](https://bid.juliensauctions.com/lot-details/index/catalog/521/lot/237047/Princess-Diana-29-July-1981-Royal-Wedding-Invitation) There would also have been other stuff worth keeping [https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/original-princess-diana-prince-928605047](https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/original-princess-diana-prince-928605047)

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snake__doctor@reddit

Google tells me 3k people attended thew wedding, of whom around 2000 were members of the public. So its entirely possible.

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Grendahl2018@reddit

Sorry but this is faked. Source: my ex-wife and I had an invite to a Royal Garden Party. The EIIR was gold-embossed, names were in fine calligraphy, not marker pen. Lovely day, btw

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P11CXN@reddit

There are lots of examples of the genuine invitations online. They don’t look like yours. https://preview.redd.it/u8ddvq1vh0ne1.jpeg?width=2000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=89b1023e0e4d9e9756b5488fb5d464218c139387

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Silver_Thunder5@reddit

American here based on the fact you have id say there a half chance it is.

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justtiptoeingthru2@reddit

Found this... https://www.etsy.com/listing/96118560/charles-diana-royal-wedding-invitation

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Darkhadou@reddit

I had an invite to a royal birthday party about 10 years ago and it looked exactly like this. Still have a photo laying around somewhere. Very likely it’s real

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theanon2021@reddit

I’d say it’s real. Looks like the one that was sold in this set https://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/products/princess-diana

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ReadyAd2286@reddit

No idea why you're questioning whether it's real or not. It is.

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Luckypowell12@reddit

Looks to me like a tourist souvenir from the early 80’s. Hope I’m wrong though

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Sudden_Direction_383@reddit

Sorry, not a chance. Cute but no.

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Alfredthegiraffe20@reddit

All the ones I can find on Google have the 'and' written, they don't have an ampersand. Whether that means anything I have no idea.

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Eastern-Animator-595@reddit

It looks real. I’ve seen quite a few invites to the Palace, etc in my time and it’s possible this is real.

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uwabu@reddit

Well he is getting 33 million of your money as salary,the least he can do is answer an enquiry. Write and ask

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khughes14@reddit

If they served in the military then it’s entirely possible it’s a real invitation

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OkPerformance2221@reddit

No. That " calligraphy" is what every eleven year old girl who had received a very popular pen set for Christmas 1980 was doing then. Source: I was an eleven year old girl in 1981. That's the first "font" in the little booklet.

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OkPerformance2221@reddit

Google the real invitations. They were vertical, with raised gold.

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SnoredCosBored@reddit

Its definitely possible. My grandparents were invited to many events by the Palace due to my grandfather's job. There was many pictures on display at their house of them with the queen and other members of the royal family.

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Goldensunshine7@reddit

I doubt it. The calligraphy is really, really awful. Not measured, blocky, blotty, letters are too thick, too much ink. The “s” on Mrs. is barely legible.

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FoodExternal@reddit

Almost certainly kosher.

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Mobile_Froyo_487@reddit

The original would be a very thick card with gold embossing. The printing company the Palace use is called Barnard and Westwood. There is an original set that was sold here. https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/princess-diana-prince-charles-wedding-invitation You could cross reference the names against the official guest list which can be found online too.

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x60pilot@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/wcltqtlzeqme1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8115aa9fae6f34cf2dcbfeadb4af0385434973f9 Here is an example of a legitimate invitation.

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radbradradbradrad@reddit

What’s a lounge suit? Sounds comfy

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Lammtarra95@reddit

A lounge suit is just an ordinary suit.

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LongjumpingLab3092@reddit

Posh speak for "normal suit"

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Normal_Boot_1673@reddit

A onesie.

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Conscious-Donut-679@reddit

Crest and paper is wrong

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drymangamer101@reddit

Reminds me of the time my grandpa casually told me that he went to a party at Buckingham Palace. I didn’t believe him until he showed the the pictures

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Apidium@reddit

Tbh they send out a LOT of invitations. My gran was invited to William and Kates, we are not famous she just was retired and worked her entire life in the NHS so hit the criteria for extremely long service and got sent one by default. By then she was a bit too frail for a trip down to London.

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dream_life7@reddit

Oh man! That's incredible! Shame she couldn't attend.

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Chris0979@reddit

Looks legit I have an invite for a garden party for my grandad and that’s about the same

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Joporean@reddit

This is definitely a souvenir replica, my grandparents also had one, they could be bought around the time of the wedding. The EIIR at the top was gold in the real invitations and there was a gold border around the edge of the card. The invitee’s names were written in fine calligraphy, that’s way too thick.

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dazedan_confused@reddit

Possibly, worth writing to them and asking. However, I think it might be too late to attend.

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The_Real_Macnabbs@reddit

So a few obvious things. Check the 'weight' of the paper, is this something that would be printed officially rather than churned off a printer in an office. Secondly, if your grandparents did attend, I imagine they would have mentioned it. That said, there may have been a reason they could not attend and kept it from the family, for good reasons ('we were invited to this wedding but it clashed with a significant family event'). The 'Dress' instructions seem credible. If real, a lovely little memento of a moment in history. If fake, why keep it?

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animalwitch@reddit

I don't think it's real, as the ER isn't in gold [Authentic Royal Invite etc ](https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/34422920606124-princess-diana-and-prince-charles/)

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adyslexicgnome@reddit

[https://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/products/princess-diana](https://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/products/princess-diana) looks the same, although the one from the above is Gold embossed. Know that during events, common people are invited to these things. My brother was invited to a garden party for some royal event, so could be ligit?

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parkylondon@reddit

Sadly, I doubt this is real. The script isn't well done and the EiiR isn't gold. Here's an original [https://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/products/princess-diana](https://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/products/princess-diana)

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Westreacher@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/r15kubd4oome1.jpeg?width=2752&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=824e7d5e1f026a2c3de35f08fb33c0d0dfbbd927 I thought there’s no way, but then I did a little research. Nice keepsake

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No_Rutabaga_1630@reddit

I think they are sold as reproduction souvenirs but a real one goes for around £1.5k so good luck!!

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SubtractAd@reddit

Write to the palace and ask them?

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sunday_cumquat@reddit

Probably not. Source: my partner used to print the Royal family's stationery (including wedding invites).

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contrarybookgal@reddit

Tell us more!!

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sunday_cumquat@reddit

Fun fact: the print factory has armed police when they would print this stuff. Ostensibly because of security around the Royal itinerary, but mainly for the press who would rummage through the bins looking for copies thrown away. They would in fact store every copy securely until they could be destroyed, but it didn't stop journalists trying.

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Azarna@reddit

I have a real one. The EIIR is a deeply embossed gold. The paper is thick and high quality. The names are beautifully written in a thin fountain pen. The writing in the OPs invite looks much more "amateur" and as if it is written in a marker pen. It is standard practice for the Palace to refer to couples as "Mr and Mrs", not "Mr & Mrs". Debretts also considers an "and" rather than an ampersand to be good form. There are quite a few places selling reproductions, which, presumably, someone must buy. Unless you can either find a relative who knows about it or evidence they actually attended, I suspect this invite is a reproduction. Sorry.

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radiantxdreamy@reddit

Could be a hidden gem of local history in there! It's fascinating to uncover such intriguing pieces of the past, something so unique might hold more significance than expected. A delightful mystery to solve!

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BouncyBlueYoshi@reddit

My granddad has a similar one framed.

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ImaginaryAcadia4474@reddit

You should be able to get a guest list somewhere but a quick search suggests 3500 guests. It’s not unlikely. Community leaders/local worthies get invites to the royal garden party so it’s not beyond the realms of possibility 👍🏻

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Lebsum118@reddit

Poberbly not most invites are sent out on white card .

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ImaginaryAcadia4474@reddit

DRAWER for the love of god

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FlyingInside2@reddit

I have an invite to two garden parties and they're very ornate. That seems very plain for the wedding of the century

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Icy_Attention3413@reddit

If it’s on paper it’s almost certainly not genuine. Posh card is the usual way.

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Lessarocks@reddit

The name of the invitees does not look real. There is no way they would have used such a thick font. It’s not classy at all.

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Helicreature@reddit

It’s not Die stamped, it’s not on quality card stock and the crest isn’t in gold - so no, not real.

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jonkolbe@reddit

Maybe…? I’m leaning toward no though because of the calligraphy. [https://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/products/princess-diana](https://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/products/princess-diana)

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skybluepink77@reddit

Yes, ask, what have you got to lose? One thing I do notice - though maybe it's just the way the photo's taken - the invite seems to be on ordinary, thinnish paper: but most invitations of this calibre wouldn't be on ordinary notepaper, they'd be on very stiff and expensive card.

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Enough-Variety-8468@reddit

Very possibly as a recognition for good work. Pretty sure one of my relatives went to a garden party at Buckingham Palace

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KinManana@reddit

My parents have a royal invite. The paper is high quality card, slightly textured. The format of yours looks the same

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Cheezel62@reddit

Yes, it is possible. There were some invitees from the general population

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Eisenhorn_UK@reddit

Ugh. How very common. I mean, what sort of person gets married on a Wednesday...? Honestly.

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SuspiciouslyMoist@reddit

Even worse, she got married on my 10th birthday. *My* birthday, and everyone was watching some shitty wedding on TV.

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GingerWindsorSoup@reddit

Somebody who does not work and have to get married with the hoi polloi on a Saturday, but then she may have needed a fast tracked wedding if William was already on the way.

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surruss@reddit

My grandpa had one just like this!

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Kahleniel@reddit

Contact a historical society that specialises in Royal history. They should be able to help.

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Better_Daikon4997@reddit

I’m not convinced… what type of paper is it? Royal invitations are always on a sturdy card and not paper. As well as the EIIR not being embossed gold. However… it’s always worth an ask. Probably could reach out to the royal archives who can do some digging into the guest list of that particular wedding.

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wantsomebreakfast@reddit

I think this is genuine. I was eight years old when they married, and two things occur to me: nobody had printers or Xerox-type photocopiers, so if it’s fake it would have been made at a printing company. The culture at the time would view making counterfeit wedding invitations as morally wrong and a bit pointless. The crumpling we can see does not mean it’s not real.

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itsYaBoiga@reddit

In the Chester draws, eh?

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DavitoDaCosta@reddit

Definitely not real, sorry. The handwriting gives it away. If it were real the writing would be flawless, absolutely meticulous, it's not. Sorry

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JMawds87@reddit

My grandparents were invited to two garden parties in the 70s/80s and I think the calligraphy may be the same. Will see if I can locate them and will drop you a direct message if I do.

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znidz@reddit

"draw"

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Queen_of_London@reddit

Might have been for a local celebration for the wedding that was mocked up to be like real invites.

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SilverstoneMonzaSpa@reddit

This is incredibly likely, the invites would have been "published" in national papers to show people and many would have copied for local events. Lovely piece of their history, but unless they were known they're not going to the wedding of Charles and Diana

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DizzyEllie@reddit

This is what I'm thinking. There were a ton of parties celebrating the marriage, this could have been a party favour.

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Sivear@reddit

I think you’re spot on. Especially if OPs grandparents were prominent in the community, they’d have been invited to something like this at a village hall. I’m confident it’s not real and you’ve given a great explanation.

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pcwizme@reddit

So I wonder is there was a bit of fun had and some friends had a party to watch the wedding on someone's big 32 inch TV, and sent out real looking invites to let them know.

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real_Mini_geek@reddit

I believe the queen used a big fat marker pen to hand write the names herself

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Rebel-Without-A-Clu3@reddit

The card looks too low quality to me to come from the palace and agree that the gold embossing is missing. Also if you look at the lettering it seems very patchy, just like a photo copy. There wouldn't have been any "second tier" invitations in terms of quality of paper etc for people who aren't royalty because it wouldn't have been a great look to treat them less well and also why go out of your way to change the paper and quality.

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General_Weather_5158@reddit

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wedding_guests_of_Prince_Charles_and_Lady_Diana_Spencer May be of some use x

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9182747463828@reddit

It’s missing the dotted line where the guests names are written, the names would never have been written in such thick pen and the stylised Ampersand would not be used on an official invitation, it would be a simple ‘and’ sorry.

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opopkl@reddit

Your grandparents would surely have mentioned something like that if it was real.

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Feline-Sloth@reddit

It looks like it's printed on paper and not the stiff gold edged card with embossed print that Royal invitations have.

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Titifoo98@reddit

My grandparents were invited to tea with the queen as part of their work for the National Trust. They absolutely loved it and said Lizzie was lovely☺️

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Relevant_Bite_1302@reddit

I think if it was a real invite it would be accompanied with photos of them attending 😂 It’s not exactly an invite that any sane person would have turned down at the time

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ohnobobbins@reddit

It doesn’t look like the real royal invitations I’ve seen. I don’t think it’s legit, sorry! The real ones are on thick card, with a gold edge and embossed crest and writing, and a very specific ink pen and style is used to write the names.

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Relative-Local4311@reddit

It’s not original. The authentic invitations had gold embossing on the royal seal, there was a double dotted line where the names where written, a fine nibbed fountain pen was used to write the names and there is too much dead space compared to the original.

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blackcurrantcat@reddit

That the names appear to have been written in sharpie is throwing it off for me. Also, an invite to Charles & Diana’s wedding would be something you’d frame rather than put in a drawer, I would imagine.

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lyta_hall@reddit

No chance. They would not write the names with a marker if it was real

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InfertilityCasualty@reddit

Gut instinct is no, because the names aren't written between lines. https://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/products/princess-diana?srsltid=AfmBOorwxEeiVUaV1o4BBtZsMalj0HV7rPUO5SUtF2lobKo9Hlkui57W There's a genuine one

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Famous-Eye-4812@reddit

Looks similar to an invitation i had from Buckingham Palace, speech, font, etc. I'd say it's real as others said write to the Charles aide and ask.

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TheTerribleTailypo@reddit

The clerks of the Lord Chamberlain's office would not have used a 'lazy ampersand' (or "secretary form") when addressing invitations to a royal wedding. The word 'and' would have been fully written out. Also, as others have pointed out, this was written with a hobby marker, not pen and ink.

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Bunister@reddit

You've clearly got a sharp eye for a Sharpie.

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clementynemurphy@reddit

I know that a lot of the public are actually cherry picked for invitations to formal affairs. Members of the public hope they are chosen to join in on the big day. So it very well could be real. It doesn't mean they were associated with them. I think I remember them saying a number were invited to WaK and HaMs weddings too.

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angelindisguise@reddit

[Here's one on ebay for sale](https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fitm%2F266798145538&psig=AOvVaw28nw-aG2M8_IBZVW2-Buoz&ust=1741153828889000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQ3YkBahcKEwjgucfP3e-LAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBA)

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LordRuby@reddit

It kind of looks like something people would make as a novelty back when home computers and printers were a new thing

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Zealousideal-Cow2480@reddit

Spam wanted. Please spam me at asherwolfe39@gmail.com.

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alkaidkoolaid@reddit

I would upload it to ChatGPT and I bet it will tell you.

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Ellen6723@reddit

Unlikely - thats no where near the calligraphy skills of royal household. I’d say it’s probably sone type tourist thing

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Clear-Counter1286@reddit

Based on the calligraphy Mr. & Mrs. No

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wandering_salad@reddit

As someone else said, it's possible this is a copy. I found what seems to be a more luxurious one for sale here: [https://bid.juliensauctions.com/lot-details/index/catalog/521/lot/237047/Princess-Diana-29-July-1981-Royal-Wedding-Invitation](https://bid.juliensauctions.com/lot-details/index/catalog/521/lot/237047/Princess-Diana-29-July-1981-Royal-Wedding-Invitation)

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Cranky70something@reddit

Wow. I Googled C and D's wedding invitation...and it looks authentic. Great find!

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ninjacrow7@reddit

I'm sure if it was real, it would have their names in fancy writing with an ink pen and not written with a thick permanent marker.

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Whisky_Woman@reddit

The quality of the calligraphy leaves me rather somewhat in doubt.

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bedbuffaloes@reddit

Exactly what I was thinking. I could do better than that.

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Technical-Treacle-89@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/3t3n8pcqkkme1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ce07a54a55155a8318d2e25ab3df378e834d563f A real one looks like this

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younevershouldnt@reddit

I mean, they would have mentioned it if they'd actually been invited, eh?

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trippapotamus@reddit

I wonder if they photocopied the original to save it if it’s not real as is? I’d do that just in case I lost the original lol

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Jezbod@reddit

The formatting is wrong, there should be some lines across the document, above and below the names, also the penmanship is... agricultural. It would also be "Mr and Mrs", not the abbreviation they use.

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Kent_Doggy_Geezer@reddit

If it’s thick, stiff and gilded then yes! What was his job… that was would help too.

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Abquine@reddit

I'd guess you'd Googles but are they on this list? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_wedding\_guests\_of\_Prince\_Charles\_and\_Lady\_Diana\_Spencer#Courtiers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wedding_guests_of_Prince_Charles_and_Lady_Diana_Spencer#Courtiers) #

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HarrBathtub@reddit (OP)

I saw that list, but it says at the top there was 3500 people, and there isn’t that many on the list - thanks though

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PM-me-your-cuppa-tea@reddit

That list is only a small percentage though

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NipplesAndNeedlework@reddit

What’s the weight of the paper? I used to work at a paper mill where they made the paper for the invites - niche I know. Basically we’re talking thick, quality, handmade paper here. Not a basic a4 printer sheet.

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Silent-Detail4419@reddit

My dad's parents were at Liz's wedding (we found the invitation when we cleared out their house after Grandpa died). Grandpa wasn't anyone 'special' in the sense that he was a dignitary, but he did have an important position with the War Office (I forget what it was now, he didn't really talk much about what he did during the war (you can do your own Uncle Albert impression)), so it was probably due to that. I don't see why it wouldn't be authentic.

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Tricky_Routine_7952@reddit

Looks like a photocopy. https://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/products/princess-diana

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Chiquita4eyes@reddit

I'd would have thought that being invited to a royal wedding- the future king no less, would be brought up at every opportunity

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Forsaken-Aeria1ist@reddit

Only thing that looks off is the calligraphy. That could have to do with the age of the document but the penmanship there feels chunky? But I am NOT an authority.

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mhoulden@reddit

At least it didn't ask for a contribution to their wedding list.

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shantayyoustayyy@reddit

My grandparents were invited to the 21st birthday party of the now Duke of Devonshire and the invitation was much more formal/nicely done than this. I would be sceptical but also I'd be very happy to be wrong!

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thewanderingway@reddit

Anyone else immediately think of Lee Mack and WILTY?

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reditcyclist@reddit

Most likely not real or a photocopy. My wife had an invite to one of the annual garden parties, so less flash, and that was on very nice card.

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Bicolore@reddit

That’s a novelty/joke invite I’d guess.

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hettie1@reddit

Did they live near to somewhere linked to the royals?

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scotianheimer@reddit

*drawer

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