A childhood letter written by King Charles III to his “grandmother” has been discovered by a couple living in Warwickshire, England, as they were cleaning out their attic over the Christmas holidays.
“Dear Granny, I am sorry you are sick. Hope you get better soon,” reads the one-sided letter, carefully written on lined Buckingham Palace paper and dated March 15, 1955, when the King was six years old.
“Much love from Charles,” it says on the other side, alongside colorful kisses and scribbled circles.
It was discovered inside an envelope addressed by Queen Elizabeth II to the Queen Mother, providing a “three-generation run”, Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers and responsible for selling the letter, told the CNN on Thursday (22).
Finding the letter, which Hanson estimates could fetch up to £10,000 ($12,000) at auction, left the couple “dumbstruck” as they searched their loft.
“It belonged to my late grandfather Roland Stockdale,” said the seller.
“My wife said ‘wow, look at that!’ We were pretty shocked, but we weren’t sure if anyone would be interested in that.”
Stockdale worked for the Metropolitan Police, where he was part of the Queen’s personal protection force during the 1950s, after leaving Carlisle, northern England, and his previous job as a farm laborer, the seller added.
Stockdale’s folder containing the letter “was gathering dust” in various attics for “30 to 40 years”, as it was passed down to family members after his death.
“I have absolutely no idea how he got the letter written by King Charles when he was a young boy,” said the seller. “It’s one of the many things he kept.”
Citing postcards and birthday greetings that Stockdale received from the Queen and the Queen Mother, Hanson hypothesized that “these mementos were presented to the officer”, as he “was clearly highly regarded”.
The couple found other royal memorabilia in the briefcase, including an invitation to a ball at Balmoral Castle, a note signed by the Queen Mother, gift tags signed by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, as well as a copy of the Christmas broadcast from 1956 from the Queen. .
The items will go on sale on March 7th.
Source: CNN Brasil
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