King Charles Chose a Surprising Photo to Thank Fans for Birthday Wishes — Why It's Different

The monarch opted for a candid picture from a celebration in Scotland

King Charles is sending thank you notes to those who wished him a happy birthday.

The King turned 75 on Nov. 14, and fans who sent him a letter for the milestone occasion may have found a special royal reply in their mailboxes recently. Fan blog Gert's Royal Replies shared the card on X (formerly Twitter) this week, showing the message and photo that King Charles used for the correspondence.

"I am enormously grateful to you for thinking of me on my 75th Birthday and for sending me such a touching message. This brings you my warmest good wishes," the typed message said.

It was signed as "Charles R," the signature used since his accession in Sept. 2022. The “R” stands for Rex, Latin for "King," traditionally used for the monarch dating back to the 12th century. During her historic reign, Queen Elizabeth would sign official communications as "Elizabeth R." When used by Queens, the "R" stands for "Regina," or "Queen" in Latin, and is now used by Queen Camilla.

Related: King Charles 'Works All Day' Then 'Disappears' Until 4 a.m. Doing This, Says Royal Family Member

The image by photographer Chris Jackson shows King Charles at the Scotland National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication at St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh on July 5. The event, also attended by Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton, served as a celebration for Scotland following his coronation, which took place in London in May.

King Charles wore the robes and regalia of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, the highest honor of chivalry in Scotland, for the occasion.

During the service, the monarch was presented with the Honours of Scotland. According to Edinburgh Castle's website, "The Honours of Scotland, on display in the Crown Room, are the oldest Crown jewels in Britain. Made of gold, silver and precious gems, the priceless crown, sceptre and sword of state are objects of immense significance."

The crown was made for James V, who first wore it at the 1540 coronation of Queen Mary of Guise. Three years later, Mary Queen of Scots was the first to be crowned using the new crown and sceptre together.

In the past, King Charles has chosen more formal portraits for his birthday replies and other special occasions. Following the coronation, the King and the Queen sent cards with an official portrait taken after the crowning ceremony. They opted to use the same photo, snapped by photographer Hugo Burnand in the Throne Room of Buckingham Palace, for this year's Christmas card.

In contrast, the birthday reply photo of King Charles is quite candid, showing him walking and not looking directly at the camera.

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Related: King Charles' Scotland Coronation Celebration Photo Album: Best Moments You Missed

Members of the royal family's team are known to respond to letters from the public.

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth and the accession of King Charles in 2022, Buckingham Palace revealed that they had received over 50,000 letters and messages of condolence, including 6,500 in just one day following the Queen's funeral, which took place on Sept. 19. This was a steep uptick in mail — before Queen Elizabeth's death, the palace expected up to 1,000 letters each week from members of the public with various queries or messages of good wishes.

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