Letters and drawings by young Queen Elizabeth II on sale for thousands

By Nathan Pynn

A previously unseen letter decorated with adorable doodles of animals written by a young Queen Elizabeth II is set to fetch thousands at auction.

The late monarch wrote the one-page note to the head housemaid at Royal Lodge in Windsor when she was around 10 years old.

Written while on holiday in Praa Sands in Cornwall, the young princess checks if “the birds are well, and the gold-fish haven’t died.”

The unseen letter came to light two years ago after it was kept in a suitcase under a bed for decades.

The letter is expected to sell for between $2,000 and $4,000 but could fetch far more when it goes under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers this month.

Hansons valuer Justin Matthews said: “When I first saw the letter, it gave me goosebumps.

“Queen Elizabeth II, as we remember her - with her love of dogs and horses - is astoundingly evident in this letter penned by her younger self.”

The letter refers to primroses the young princess had picked which she asks to be shared among staff at Royal Lodge.

Justin added: “From these few lines we understand everything we later know about the late Queen.

“She is seen to be observant, kind and concerned with others’ wellbeing, just as she was in later years.”

The letter, addressed to Beatrice Stillman (1901-1991) the head housemaid at Royal Lodge, reads: “Sea Side, Sea Mead, Praa Sands

“Dear Beatrice,

“I am sending you some primroses we picked, wild. There are some pale pink ones as well as the yellow.

“It is very lovely here. We can go down on to the beach from the garden.

“I hope the birds are well, and the gold-fish haven't died. Will you please give Cootie (Miss Coote I mean) and Mrs Wade some of the primroses to share. Jock is very well and happy here. Nanny and Joanna send their love to you.

“Love from Elizabeth.”

The doodles include a pair of horses and highwaymen, a seated girl named Mary, a dog called Jim, a boy named John, as well as a boy and pony jumping a five-bar gate, alongside a man patting a horse.

The letter was one of a cache of correspondence from the Palace to Beatrice including her letter of engagement dated May 22, 1936, on behalf of the Duchess of York (later the Queen Mother).

The archive also includes an undated slip of paper with the urgent pencil-written request from Princess Margaret which read: “Beatrice! Please could you look after my bathing suit? Margaret.”

Justin added: “While Princess Elizabeth’s concerns are all about her pets and the welfare of staff, Princess Margaret’s are slightly more sartorial.

“Both seem rather fitting for the women they grew up to be.”

Beatrice Stillman joined the royal household in 1936 when Princess Elizabeth was ten and Princess Margaret, six.

The relationship was clearly a warm one, sparking a lifelong correspondence between the Queen Mother and Beatrice, who went on to marry Alfred Twyman, a gardener at Windsor Castle, in 1946.

When Beatrice’s brother-in-law, John Dicker was killed in an air raid in 1940, the Queen Mother invited his widow (Beatrice’s sister) and their two young daughters, Rene and Jean, to play with the royal princesses at Royal Lodge.

Rene’s nephew, William Westacott, owner of the archive of letters, said: “Auntie Rene, now 95, fondly remembers being presented to George VI and the Queen and the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.

“She also recalls playing in the large playhouse in the Royal Lodge garden that was gifted to Princess Elizabeth in 1932.

“It being wartime, the Queen kindly donated some of the princesses’ clothes to the children.”

When Beatrice died the suitcase of letters, including Christmas cards, went to William’s mother Jean Westacott, Beatrice’s niece

When Jean died two years ago, William and the family discovered it under her bed.

Westacott, who lives in Sevenoaks in Kent, said: “We knew the letters existed, but to read them in the flesh was a ‘wow’ moment.”

Justin continued: “We don’t know the exact date of the letter, but we know Beatrice was taken on as head housemaid at Royal Lodge in 1936 and in May 1940, the young princesses moved to Windsor Castle for their safety. So it must date from these years.

“The letter speaks of an idyllic childhood holiday before the war when we know Cornwall was a popular destination for affluent and aristocratic families.

“In those days, it was very common for children to correspond with household staff they were fond of – especially those who helped take care of their home life (like head housemaids who looked after their laundry and toys.

“While we don’t know who the ‘Cootie’, (Miss Coote) or Mrs Wade refers to, we know her nanny at the time was Marion Crawford famously known as Crawfie.”

In his book Elizabeth, Gyles Brandreth refers to two of the princess’s ponies known as Jock and Hans. Jock is referenced in the letter as “very happy here and doing well.”

The family was given the mock-Gothic Royal Lodge, three miles south of Windsor Castle, in 1931 as a weekend retreat by George V.

The grounds contain the miniature cottage Y Bwthyn Bach, a gift to Princess Elizabeth as a child from the people of Wales in 1932.

Justin said: “We are already seeing a great deal of interest in this incredible letter which, as well as revealing the innermost concerns of the future queen, is an important and charming historic document.”

The letters will be sold at Hansons Auctioneers’ saleroom in Penshurst, Kent, on February 27.