Collection of Royal Christmas Cards and Notes Exceeds £12,000 at Auction

A collection of royal memorabilia, featuring Christmas cards and thank you notes from Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales, achieved over £12,000 when sold at auction. All these articles were dispatched by members of the Royal Family to Alan Maxwell, a photographic adviser hailing from Harrogate. Mr. Maxwell was employed by Wallace Heaton Ltd, the designated photographic suppliers to the Royal Family. Mr. Maxwell’s responsibilities included providing and framing prints, as well as assisting the royals in selecting appropriate images for their Christmas cards. Among the auction lots were casual photographs of the late Queen Elizabeth alongside her dogs, along with a note stating: “Please check the print with the negatives to find out which is missing – eaten by the puppies – ER.” Additional items within the auction lots, all originating from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, comprised new year cards and memoranda from the Queen Mother, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and the Duke and Duchess of Kent. The sale took place at Hansons Auctioneers in Etwall, situated near Derby, on Thursday. A spokesperson for the auctioneers indicated that while the collection’s total pre-sale top estimate was close to £8,000, it ultimately garnered £12,855, with all lots successfully sold. Charles Hanson, the owner of the auction house, commented: “Buyers from the UK, the USA and Europe competed for these wonderful finds. Mr Maxwell assisted the royal family for decades. He was a man of absolute discretion. As well as managing general photo requests, he printed and framed Christmas cards. In a digital age, it’s easy to forget people had to send off films to be developed. The Royal Family, among the most photograped people in the world, relied on Mr Maxwell for their photographic needs – and he was a perfectionist.” Hansons reported that Mr. Maxwell passed away 15 years ago. The collection subsequently came into the possession of a seller who contacted the auctioneers during the summer, stating she had royal memorabilia stored in a box at the base of her wardrobe. Justin Matthews, also from Hansons, remarked: “We arranged for her to bring it to Hansons’ Penshurst office a few days later and I was amazed.” Additional items sold within the collection included a signed Christmas card from the then Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, dated 1984, alongside loose images and negatives, which together fetched £1,000. Also part of the collection’s sale was a 1983 Christmas card from Charles and Diana, and a personal thank you note addressed to Mr. Maxwell from Diana. The note stated: “Dear Mr Maxwell, a very special thank you for coming to our rescue at such short notice!” “I did appreciate enormously the speed in which the photographs arrived here & am only sorry for the trouble we must have caused! Yours most sincerely, Diana.” For highlights from North Yorkshire, listeners can tune into BBC Sounds, catch up with the most recent episode of Look North, or submit a story for consideration here. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external sites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available for review.