Childhood letter from King Charles to Queen Mother found in Warwickshire loft by farm worker
A letter sent by King Charles when he was six years old to his grandmother has been discovered by a farm manager in a loft.
The letter, sent to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, on March 15, 1955 reads: “Dear Granny, I am sorry that you are ill. I hope you will be better soon. Lots of love from Charles.”
The letter was found by a 49-year-old farm manager during a Christmas clear-out of his loft in Stratford-upon-Avon, along with a folder of other pieces of royal memorabilia which had gone unnoticed for decades.
Finds include invitations to events, royal menus and letters written on Buckingham Palace headed paper.
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.”
Mr Stockdale, a farm worker from Carlisle, moved to London and got a job with the Metropolitan Police, eventually going on to work for the Queen’s personal protection force during the 1950s.
It is believed he worked under several royals over his career. He died in his 70s in 1983.
A folder of royal memorabilia and letters was inherited by his son, who gave it to his wife over 10 years ago.
It was then given to the current owner and his wife, who looked at it for the first time over Christmas last year.
As well as the letter with doodle art and kisses from the then-prince Charles, there is also letters between Mr Stockdale and William Tallon – also known as ‘Backstairs Billy’ – the Queen Mother’s servant.
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 are among the pieces of royal memorabilia.
The seller said: “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.
The items will now be sold by Derbyshire-based Hansons Auctioneers on March 7, and combined are expected to make around £4,000. The letter from King Charles has an estimate of £2,000 – £3,000.
Charles Hanson, the owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said the finds were “remarkable” and that the childhood letter from King Charles was “heartwarming”.