King Charles’ childhood items up for auction could fetch thousands: ‘Touching collection’ (2024)

‘Dear Papa, I am longing to see you in the ship, Love from Charles,’ says one note

Touching childhood drawings byKing Charles IIIof his “Mummy” and “Papa” have been discovered after 40 years – and now could fetch thousands at auction.

The crayon and pencil portraits depict his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and father, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

The kingcreated these when he was just 5 years old, according to SWNS, the British news service.

The sweet drawings showboth parents in grand attire– with the queen wearing a striped dress with a purple tiara and red earrings, plus holding one of her iconic handbags.

Prince Philip is shown sporting a smart dinner suit and bow tie – and the poignant sketches are inscribed “Mummy” and “Papa.”

A very young Charles created them around 1953-1955, when he was 5 or 6 years old, said SWNS.

The drawings are now expected to fetch between £5,000-£10,000 (roughly $6,300-$13,000) when they go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers, in Etwall, Derbyshire, England, on June 16.

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They are part of what’s said to be an “extraordinary” royal memorabilia collection, which includes 10 early drawings by the recently coronated King Charles.

It also includes royal letters, family photos, Christmas cards and a 1937 Buckingham Palace manuscript menu diary.

They were mostly amassed from the 1950s-1970s by Henry Ramsay Maule, an author, journalist and former royal correspondent.

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Maule, of Reading, was the author of several books and worked as a British correspondent at the New York Daily News for 21 years, specializing in royal stories.

Under a pseudonym, he also wrote “All The Queen’s Children,” an authoritative book about Queen Elizabeth II’s offspring.

He was a friend of royal photographer  Marcus  Adams and apparently enjoyed a long working friendship with members of the royal household, said SWNS.

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Maule also gained the approval of the palace to write a biography of Prince Philip.

He was in the process of collating information for this with the “downstairs” help of long-standing royal servant Charlie when he sadly passed away. 

The items, given to him to assist with his work, were inherited by his family when he died in 1981 and are now being sold on June 16.

“This is an extraordinarily touching collection.” Said Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers.

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He added, “These poignant childhood drawings and emotive photos remind us that away from the pomp, pageantry and demands of serving the nation,our royals treasurethe ordinary, everyday moments of family life.”

He also said, “Given a crayon and pencil, nearly every child’s first drawings depict their family. Our king was no different… This collection will help people relate to him even more in his role as our monarch.”

Hanson continued, “The items were given to Henry Maule to support his work in documenting the life of the royal family, which included writing ‘All The Queen’s Children.’ They have remained tucked away for more than 40 years since his death in 1981.”

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Added Hanson, “The time has now come for others to enjoy them and gain fresh insight into the lives of the British royal family.”

Other early drawings by King Charles that are going up for auction include a picture of a rabbit, owl, deer, squirrels, and an Easter card featuring the Easter bunny – all of which are expected to go for a total of around £6,500 (about $8,000).

Another touching item is a cartoon illustration, circa 1954-56, made by Charles for his father. It shows a master sailor receiving a tot of “hair restorer” from an urn labeled “Lilac Flavour.”

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It comes with a note, dated March 25, 1954, that says, “Dear Papa, I am longing to see you in the ship, Love from Charles.”

Handmade cards by a very young Princess Anne for her father, featuring a yacht, house and balloons, are also set for auction at £300-£600 (about $377-$754).

Photos from the 1950s to 1961 also show a young King Charles, Princess Anne, Princess Margaret, King George VI,Queen Elizabethand Queen Mother.

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Further images set for auction show Prince Philip from childhood through to adult life, including photos of him playing with a kitten.

Recently, a sweet letter written by King Charles to his poorly “Granny” in 1955, when he was only 6 years old, sold for thousands at auction, Hansons shared on its website.

“The letter – found in a loft by a gobsmacked couple – was dated March 15, 1955,” the auctioneer website also noted.

“It read, ‘Dear Granny, I am sorry that you are ill. I hope you will be better soon.’ The flip side of the page reads, ’Lots of love from Charles.’ Underneath the large, neat handwriting is a childlike mixture of colorful doodle art and kisses.”

That letter was offered on March 7 in Hansons Auctioneers’ library auction. After a bidding battle, the hammer fell at £7,000 (roughly $8,810), the auction house reported.

King Charles’ childhood items up for auction could fetch thousands: ‘Touching collection’ (2024)

FAQs

King Charles’ childhood items up for auction could fetch thousands: ‘Touching collection’? ›

Portraits King Charles did of his parents in the early 1950s could sell for thousands of dollars. Charles was around 5 years old when he drew the sketches of his parents using pencils and crayons. Auctioneers say the portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip may fetch upwards of $12,000.

How much personal wealth does King Charles have? ›

According to the Sunday Times Rich List, he is now considerably richer than his mother with a personal fortune of £610million, which means he now ranks 258th in the list of the UK's 350 wealthiest people and families, up from 263rd in 2023.

What things did King Charles inherit? ›

King Charles III inherited the Duchy of Lancaster, worth an estimated £650 million, but he also became the beneficiary of her fortune, worth hundreds of millions in itself.

What were some of King Charles daily demands? ›

The former butler shared that King Charles had “everything done for him.” “His pajamas are pressed every morning, his shoelaces are pressed flat with an iron, the bath plug has to be in a certain position, and the water temperature has to be just tepid,” in a bathtub filled “only half full,” Burrell said.

How much is Princess Kate worth? ›

It's not possible to determine the exact net worth of a royal, but CelebrityNetWorth pegs Kate's current net worth at an estimated $10 million. Her husband's net worth, calculated by the same source, is $100 million—an estimate that doesn't appear to include a private estate reportedly worth more than $1 billion.

How much money does Princess Charlotte have? ›

Although she's not even in the double digits as far as age goes, Charlotte's net worth contains a lot of zeroes. According to a study cited by the U.K.'s Mirror, the Prince and Princess of Wales's middle child has an estimated net worth of approximately £3.5 billion, or roughly $4.4 billion.

Did Queen Elizabeth leave any money to Prince Harry? ›

So what will Prince Harry inherit from Queen Elizabeth? Representatives told Forbes in 2021 that Harry was not a beneficiary of any of the $100 million left to the royal family by his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother.

Will Camilla inherit Charles' money? ›

While Camilla would no longer be one of the main beneficiaries of the grant following Charles' death, she could continue to receive payments as long as she remains a working member of the royal family.

What is King Charles profiting from? ›

Revealed: King Charles secretly profiting from the assets of dead citizens. The king is profiting from the deaths of thousands of people in the north-west of England whose assets are secretly being used to upgrade a commercial property empire managed by his hereditary estate, the Guardian can reveal.

What is King Charles favorite thing? ›

Some of Charles' favorite foods include plums, boiled eggs, and lamb with wild mushroom risotto. A former royal chef told Delish that the royal's typical breakfast includes plums from his garden and granola. He also shared that one of Charles' favorite meals is lamb with mushroom risotto.

What does King Charles eat every day? ›

The working day is pretty relentless. Beginning with the radio news headlines and a breakfast of seasonal fruit salad and seeds with tea.” Homemade bread with nutrient-rich flours such as rye and spelt are also said to be preferred by the King, as well as eggs and side salads with each meal.

Does King Charles have any hobbies? ›

King Charles III is renowned for being a champion of organic, environmentally friendly farming, and for his green-fingered love of gardening. Less well known is his passion for traditional hedgelaying: a craft he has practised on more than 15 miles of hedging plants around his Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire.

Is Harry still in line for the throne? ›

William's three children are next, in order of birth: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Fifth in line is Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son of the King; sixth is Harry's elder child, Prince Archie.

Why did the Queen not attend Charles and Camilla's wedding? ›

As sovereign, Queen Elizabeth was head of the Church of England and decided it was not appropriate for her to be at the wedding of two people who divorced their previous partners.

What was the code word for the Queen's death? ›

The phrase "London Bridge is down" was to be used to communicate the death of the Queen to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and key personnel, setting the plan into motion.

Who is the richest member of the British royal family? ›

Royal rich list: what 30 members of 'The Firm' are worth today
  • Prince Michael of Kent: $40 million (£32m) ...
  • Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex: $60 million (£48m) ...
  • Meghan, Duchess of Sussex: $60 million (£48m) ...
  • William, Prince of Wales: $100 million (£80m) ...
  • King Charles III: $500 million (£398m) to $2.3 billion (£1.8bn)
Feb 9, 2024

How much did Harry inherit from Queen Elizabeth? ›

However, after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, Harry and William inherited part of their mother's estate on their 25th birthdays, which was around $10 million each, according to Forbes.

How does Charles have so much money? ›

Psst: Fortune reports that the Queen also invested millions in offshore accounts, which presumably Charles now has access to. Oh, and on top of that, Charles likely inherited the Queen Mother's £70 million fortune (which passed to the Queen when the Queen Mother died). Charles and his grandmother, the Queen Mother.

How much money is the Windsor family worth? ›

Last year, Forbes put the headline value of its holdings at $28 billion, theoretically making the Windsors one of the two richest clans in Britain. Among those holdings are instantly recognizable icons like Buckingham Palace and crown jewels.

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