Handwritten letter penned by Queen Elizabeth II as a child sells for £25k at auction
Queen Elizabeth II A childhood letter written by Elizabeth when she was 10 was sold for £25,000 at auction in Kent.
The one-page letter, sent to Beatrice Stillman, head maid at the Royal Lodge in Windsor, was expected to sell for £4,000.
Charles Hanson, of Hansons Auctioneers, said the response to the sale had been “crazy”.
In the letter, which is thought to have been written between 1936 and 1940, the late queen expressed her hope that “the birds are fine and the goldfish are not dead.”
He also talked about the primroses he had collected and asked for them to be shared among the staff of the Royal Lodge. The note is signed: “With love from Elizabeth.”
It was written while the late Queen was at Praa Sands and was one of several letters discovered in 2024 addressed to Ms. Stillman.
The archives were handed over to Ms. Stillman’s niece, Jean Westacott, and were found by her family in a suitcase under her bed after her death.
Justin Matthews, from Hansons Auctioneers Penshurst salesroom, said: “I got goosebumps when I first saw the letter. The Queen Elizabeth II as we remember her, with her love of dogs and horses, is stunningly clear in this letter written by her younger self.”
The archive also contained a note from Princess Margaret in which she wrote: “Beatrice! Could you please mind my swimsuit? Margaret.”
Mr Matthews added: “While Princess Elizabeth’s concerns are entirely about the welfare of her pets and staff, Princess Margaret’s concerns are a little more sartorial.
“They both seem pretty suited to the women they grew up with.”
He said the letter would have been written between 1936, when Mrs. Stillman joined the house, and May 1940, when the sisters moved to Windsor Castle.
“The letter describes an idyllic pre-war childhood holiday when Cornwall was a popular destination for wealthy and aristocratic families.
“In those days it was very common for children to correspond with their favorite household staff, especially those who helped with their home life,” he said.
“We are already seeing great interest in this incredible letter, which not only reveals the future queen’s deepest concerns but is also an important and moving historical document.”
