A childhood letter written by King Charles to the Queen Mother has been found and will be put up for auction next month.
Sent by the six-year-old monarch-to-be, the letter was addressed to his grandmother Queen Elizabeth and dated for March 15 1955.
The letter was discovered in a loft in Stratford-upon-Avon by a 49-year-old farm manager during a Christmas clear-out.
It will be sold next month alongside other Royal Memorabilia on March 7 by Derbyshire-based Hansons Auctioneers.
Letter from King Charles to the Queen Mother expected to sell for up to £3000
Combined, the regal items are expected to make around £4,000.
The letter to the Queen Mother reads: "Dear Granny, I am sorry that you are ill. I hope you will be better soon. Lots of love from Charles.”
On the Buckingham Palace headed paper, the young prince included colourful doodles and kisses below his well wishes.
The letter ended up in the Warwickshire loft after Roland Stockdale - who was a farm worker from Carlisle - moved to London and began working with the Metropolitan Police.
Mr Stockdale went on to work for the Queen’s personal protection force during the 1950s and was thought to have worked for several royals throughout his career.
His son inherited a folder of royal memorabilia and letters when he died in his 70s in
His wife was given the items over 10 years ago before they were given to the current owner and his wife, who looked at them for the first time over Christmas last year.
The seller said: “We finally had the time to look through a big box file that my mother had given to us.
“It originally belonged to my late grandad, Roland Stockdale.
“It contained lots of royal memorabilia, including a letter from Prince Charles to his grandmother. My wife said ‘wow, look at that’.
“We were pretty gobsmacked but we weren’t sure whether anyone would be interested in it.
“My grandad was a man of few words and never really spoke about his time working with the royal family but he was clearly well thought of.
“I have absolutely no idea how he came to have the letter written by King Charles when he was a boy.
“It’s one of many things he kept. The file includes royal menus, an invitation to a dance at Balmoral Castle for his wife Audrey Stockdale, a note signed by the Queen Mother and a George VI Memorial Westminster booklet from October 21, 1955.”
In addition to the letter, the discovery also included correspondence between Mr Stockdale and William Tallon – also known as ‘Backstairs Billy’ – the Queen Mother’s servant.
They include a postcard sent in 1983 from Sandringham, the royal family’s Norfolk country home, and a letter to Mr Stockdale’s wife offering condolences following his death, written on Clarence House headed paper.
There is also a booklet entitled The Words Of Her Majesty The Queen, Christmas Day Nineteen Hundred And Fifty-Six, which is a copy of the Queen’s 1956 Christmas broadcast which she delivered from her Sandringham study.
Charles Hanson, the owner of Hansons Auctioneers has described the finds as “remarkable” and that the childhood letter from King Charles was “heartwarming”.
King Charles's letter is expected to go for an estimate of £2000 – £3000.
Meanwhile, the Queen’s Christmas Day speech has a guide price of between £100 and £200.
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