Unseen Doodles by Queen Elizabeth II to Auction

A handwritten letter written by Queen Elizabeth II as a child is estimated to sell for £4,000 when it appears at Hansons tomorrow.

The one-page note is addressed to the head housemaid at Royal Lodge in Windsor Beatrice Stillman, and includes doodles of dogs, horses and young children. Written while on holiday in Praa Sands in Cornwall, the young princess who was then aged around 10 also inquires if “the birds are well, and the gold-fish haven’t died.”

The letter, which has an estimate of £2,000-£4,000, also refers to primroses the young queen had picked which she asks to be shared among staff at Royal Lodge.

“Queen Elizabeth II, with her love of dogs and horses, is astoundingly evident in this letter penned by her younger self,” said Justin Matthews, from Hansons Auctioneers. “From these few lines we understand everything we later know about the late Queen. She is seen to be observant, kind and concerned with others’ wellbeing, just as she was in later years. In those days, it was very common for children to correspond with household staff they were fond of, especially those who helped take care of their home life like head housemaids who looked after their laundry and toys."

The doodles include a pair of horses and highwaymen, a seated girl named Mary, a dog called Jim, a boy named John, as well as a boy and pony jumping a five-bar gate, alongside a man patting a horse.

The letter is among correspondence from the Palace to Beatrice which includes an undated slip of paper with a pencil-written request from Princess Margaret "Beatrice! Please could you look after my bathing suit? Margaret."

Beatrice Stillman (1901-1993) joined the royal household in 1936 when Princess Elizabeth was 10 and Princess Margaret was six. She married Alfred Twyman, a gardener on the estate, in 1946. The letters remained in the family until they were discovered by Beatrice’s great nephew William Westacott two years ago in a suitcase under his mother's bed.