A letter from King Charles to ‘Grandma’ from 1955 is accidentally discovered in the attic

“Dear Grandmother, I am sorry you are ill. I hope you are well soon,” Charles wrote to his grandmother at the age of six in 1955. On the reverse side of the page appears: “Love from Charles” and a color drawing.

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The letter to the Queen Mother, the late Queen Elizabeth’s mother, was discovered by a couple over the Christmas holidays while they were deep cleaning their home in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. The letter is now up for sale at the Hansons auction house. “We finally had time to go through a large box that my mother had given us. It turned out to have belonged to my late grandfather Roland Stockdale,” says the letter seller. It contained a lot of royal memorabilia, including a letter from Prince Charles to his grandmother. My wife said: Wow, look!”

“We were shocked, but we weren’t sure if anyone was interested. My grandfather died in his 70s in 1983, and my dad inherited the box he gave to my mom 10 years ago. She never had a chance to look into it and gave it to my wife and me at Christmas.” , We finally had some time to go through my grandfather’s chest. For the past thirty to forty years I have been gathering dust in various attics.”

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Scotland Yard

Little did they know, the couple had so many royal memorabilia at home. But there was a connection with the royal family. My grandfather, originally a farm laborer from Carlisle, moved to London to find work and got a job with the Metropolitan Police. He went to work for the Queen’s personal protection in the 1950s. The volume contains photographs of him in the information room at Scotland Yard in 1952. I am told he was originally involved in the protection of the Queen Mother, but may have worked with several members of the royal family.”

It is not known how his grandfather obtained six-year-old Charles’ letter. “It is one of many things which he has kept. The box contains royal lists, an invitation to a party at Balmoral Castle for his wife Audrey Stockdale, a note signed by the Queen Mother and a George VI memorial booklet at Westminster dated 21 October 1955.” The box also contained a copy of the Queen’s speech in Christmas 1956.

Many items will soon be sold by the auction house. Charles’s letter is valued at £2,000 to £3,000. The Queen’s Speech comes from 100 to 200 pounds and some other items are valued at between 50 and 500 pounds.

(sgg)