The King created the endearing pieces of art when he was just five years old and the crayon sketches are now expected to fetch up to £10,000 when they go under the hammer.
King Charles’s adorable artworks depicting his beloved “Mummy” and “Papa” are expected to sell for as much as £10,000 in an upcoming auction after the sweet drawings recently resurfaced after four decades. The monarch, now 74-years-old, created the crayon sketches when he was only five and included heartfelt inscriptions to his late parents.
These remarkable sketches, made using crayons and pencils, capture Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in their regal dress. The Queen is portrayed wearing a striped outfit adorned with a purple tiara, red earrings, and one of her signature handbags. Philip is depicted in a dashing dinner suit and bow tie. The touching sketches are accompanied by the heartfelt inscriptions “Mummy” and “Papa”.
Estimated to be created between 1953 and 1955 when Charles was approximately five or six years old, these drawings are now anticipated to sell for around £5,000 to £10,000 at the upcoming auction held by Hansons Auctioneers in Etwall, Derbyshire, on June 16. The pieces are only a portion of an exceptional collection of royal memorabilia, consisting of ten early artworks by King Charles, who is now a keen painter.
The collection also features letters from the Royal Family, family photographs, Christmas cards, and a manuscript menu diary from Buckingham Palace dating back to 1937. These remarkable items were predominantly collected during the 1950s to 1970s by Henry Ramsay Maule, a renowned author, journalist, and former royal correspondent. Residing in Reading, Mr Maule wrote several books and spent 21 years as a British correspondent at the New York Daily News, specialising in royal stories.
Mr Maule had a close relationship with members of the royal household and maintained a longstanding working friendship with esteemed royal photographer Marcus Adams. He even received permission from the Palace to write a biography of Prince Philip. However, tragically, Mr Maule died while in the process of compiling information for the biography. When Mr Maule died in 1981, his family inherited the items he had been given to aid his work. Now, on June 16, these cherished possessions will be offered for sale at auction.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, spoke about the auction and said: “This is an extraordinarily touching collection. “These poignant childhood drawings and emotive photos remind us that away from the pomp, pageantry and demands of serving the nation, our royals treasure the ordinary, everyday moments of family life.
“Given a crayon and pencil, nearly every child’s first drawings depict their family. Our King was no different … This collection will help people relate to him even more in his role as our monarch.” He added: “The items were given to Henry Maule to support his work in documenting the life of the Royal family, which included writing ‘All The Queen’s Children.’ They have remained tucked away for more than 40 years since his death in 1981. “The time has now come for others to enjoy them and gain fresh insight into the lives of the British Royal Family.”
