By Adam Dutton via SWNS
Adorable photographs and amusing letters written by the royals which were found in a cardboard box have sold for almost $16,418 at auction.
The previously unseen notes were sent to Alan Maxwell, the royals’ official photography expert who would develop their camera films and offer his advice.
In one hilarious memo from the late Queen, she told him her corgi puppies had eaten a royal photograph.
In another, King Charles praised Maxwell’s designs for the 1993 Royal Christmas cards despite the “unpromising material.”
The memos were among a treasure trove of photographs, letters and thank you notes the royals wrote to Maxwell over his 30 years of service.
The royal collection was discovered in a cardboard box 15 years after Maxwell’s death.
The entire haul was expected to fetch around $8,000 at auction but on Thursday (12/12) it smashed the estimate, selling for a total of $16,418.
The collection was divided into 45 lots when it went under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire, sparking an international bidding war.
Owner and Bargain Hunt star Charles Hanson said: “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 photographed people in the world, relied on Mr Maxwell for their photographic needs, and he was aâ¯perfectionist.”
The haul included more than 60 Christmas cards and New Year cards sent out by the royals between the 1970s and 1990s.
Maxwell was a photographic and camera specialist at London’s Wallace H Eaton Ltd, official suppliers to the royal family.
The Royal Family relied on Maxwell for all their photography needs, including helping them chose the annual royal Christmas cards.
Writing a memorandum note to Maxwell before one Christmas the late Queen Elizabeth told him: “Please check the print with the negatives to find out which is missing – eaten by the puppies – ER.”
The letter, along with 13 photographs was set to fetch around £500 but sold for £1,900.
Another letter written by King Charles when he was Prince of Wales in 1993, revealed how he felt about the “unpromising material” for that year’s cards.
He wrote: “Dear Mr Maxwell, I just wanted to thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into producing possible Christmas cards for me this year.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with what you have achieved from some pretty unpromising material!”
The modest monarch also apologized for not meeting Maxwell in person, blaming his “ridiculously congested program.”
He wrote: “I am sorry that my ridiculously congested program meant that you had a fruitless journey to London, and that I did not have an opportunity to congratulate you in person, but did want you to know how grateful I am for all you have done on this and other projects.
“What on Earth would I do without you?! Yours sincerely, Charles.”
The letter was snapped up by a buyer for $1,900.
In another intriguing lot, a letter from Diana in 1992 sold for $400, eight times more than its $50 estimate.
She wrote: “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.”
Other Diana memorabilia included multiple snaps of her taken in the 1980s and 90s including her 21st birthday portrait by Snowden.
Another picture in the auction is a 1984 Christmas card, inscribed ‘Mr Maxwell, from, Diana and Charles’, features a photo of the couple with a small Prince William and baby Prince Harry.
A touching 1988 Christmas card, sent by Queen Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh, features a photo of Elizabeth holding an infant Princess Beatrice of York on her lap with The Queen Mother standing by her side.
Maxwell, who worked for the royals between the 1970s and 1990s, died in 2009.
His royal memorabilia was passed to a relative who found it in a cardboard box and took it to be valued at an agricultural show in August.
Justin Matthews, regional director for Hansons Kent and Sussex, said: “The seller came over to Hansons’ stand and mentioned that she had some royal memorabilia in a box at the bottom of her wardrobe.”
