My first royal letter: A long-lost treasure rediscovered

Back in 1990, I was just eleven years old and already fascinated by royal families. That year was truly special in Belgium’s royal history: King Baudouin celebrated his 40th anniversary on the throne, he and Queen Fabiola marked 30 years of marriage, and in September, the King turned 60. Plenty of reasons to pick up a pen and write my very first royal letter. It was my first attempt at connecting with royalty, the very first step on what would later become a lifelong passion and eventually this blog. I carefully crafted my message and sent it off to the Belgian Royal Palace. To my absolute delight, I received a royal reply in return! For a young royal enthusiast, it meant the world. However… that precious card went missing not long after. For 35 years, it remained lost and with it, the chance to truly "document the journey" from the very beginning. Fast forward to 2025. My parents are moving and over the past few weeks, they’ve been sorting, selling, and clearing out decades...