Childhood Drawings by Queen Elizabeth II to Auction

Childhood drawings by the Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Princess Margaret dating from 1938 will be put up for auction at Cheffins as part of The Library Sale on April 27.

The previously unseen drawings have been verified by Buckingham Palace and copies are now held in the Royal Archives. The drawings are offered for sale by Ian Aldred whose father, Alexander Aldred, was dentist to the Royal Family during the 1930s and 1940s, along with his business partner Mr Morris.

These drawings were completed by the princesses during a visit to 88 Park Street, London, for dental treatment by Mr Aldred and left in the waiting room. In 2004, the seller sent a photocopy of the drawings to Buckingham Palace, and Queen Elizabeth II’s private secretary replied in a letter stating, “Her Majesty was most grateful to you for sending her this photocopy which certainly brought back memories for her.”

The drawings, which depict houses, chairs and dressing tables, have an estimate of £1,000 - £1,500 ($1,240-£1,865).

“These charming drawings are a window into the childhood lives of the late Her Majesty the Queen and Princess Margaret, who would have been aged around twelve and eight at the time," said Charles Ashton, Head of the Fine Art Division at the Cambridge-based Cheffins. "With the Coronation approaching, we have seen that the popularity of any items relating to the late Queen have risen significantly, as people look to collect individual and personalised items that have a strong link to one of United Kingdom’s greatest monarchs. There are number of dedicated collectors for royal memorabilia, however as the Queen was held in such high regard worldwide, we expect these drawings to be of international interest, and we are delighted to be able to offer them for sale.”

Ian Aldred, who lives in Lincolnshire and is selling the drawings added: “As I am now in my 80s, I decided it was time to move these drawings on and give someone else the opportunity to enjoy them. I was conscious from a very young age that my father was more than just a normal dentist and he had some very famous clients. As a schoolboy I was very proud that he was the dentist to the Royal Family.”

The drawings will be offered alongside the letter from Ian Aldred to Buckingham Palace and their reply, both dated 2004. The side with the Buckingham Palace monogram was drawn on by Queen Elizabeth II and the reverse by Princess Margaret.