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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Jennifer Newton

King Charles' touching childhood drawings of 'Mummy' set to fetch up to £10k at auction

King Charles' touching childhood drawings of his beloved late 'Mummy' and 'Papa' are set to fetch up to £10,000 at auction.

The crayon and pencil portraits, which have been discovered after 40 years, depict Elizabeth II and Prince Philip - and were sketched when the King was just five.

The fascinating drawings show both parents in grand attire with the Queen wearing a striped dress with a purple tiara, red earrings and one of her iconic handbags.

Philip sports a smart dinner suit and bow tie and the poignant sketches are both inscribed 'Mummy' and 'Papa'.

They were produced by a young Charles between 1953 and 1955 when he was five or six years old.

The King's sketch of his late mother the Queen (Emma Errington / Hansons / SWNS)
Charles' drawing of his dad Prince Philip (Emma Errington / Hansons / SWNS)

The drawings are now expected to fetch between £5,000 and £10,000 when they go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers, in Etwall, Derbyshire, on June 16.

They are part of an "extraordinary" royal memorabilia collection which includes 10 early drawings by the King.

It also includes royal letters, family photos, Christmas cards and a 1937 Buckingham Palace manuscript menu diary.

They were mostly amassed between the 1950s and 1970s by author, journalist and former royal correspondent Henry Ramsay Maule.

Maule, from Reading, was the author of several books and worked as a British correspondent at the New York Daily News for 21 years specialising in royal stories.

A cartoon by a young Charles and a letter he wrote to his father Prince Philip in 1954 (Emma Errington / Hansons / SWNS)

He also wrote, under a pseudonym, All The Queen's Children, an authoritative book about Elizabeth II's offspring.

He was a friend of royal photographer Marcus Adams and enjoyed a long working friendship with members of the Royal Household. Maule also gained Palace approval to write a biography of Prince Philip.

He was in the process of collating information for this with the 'downstairs' help of long-standing royal servant Charlie when he sadly passed away.

The King's childhood drawing of a delivery van (Emma Errington / Hansons / SWNS)
A sweet drawing by Charles of a pair of birds (Emma Errington / Hansons / SWNS)

The items, which were given to him to assist with his work, were inherited by his family when he died in 1981 and are now being sold on.

Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, 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.

A series of images of the Royal Family are also set to be auctioned (Hansons / SWNS)

"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."

Other early drawings by King Charles set for auction include a pair of carmine bee-eater birds, signed 'Charles', expected to fetch £2,000- £4,000.

A delivery van in Harrod's-style livery stating 'Happybright, Mr Charles's Shop' could also make £2,000 to £3,000.

A picture of a rabbit, owl, deer, squirrel, and an Easter card featuring the Easter bunny is expected to make a total of around £6,500.

Another touching item is a cartoon illustration, circa 1954-56, made by Charles for his father.

It depicts a master sailor receiving a tot of 'Hair Restorer' from an urn labelled 'Lilac Flavour'.

It comes with a note, dated March 25, 1954 reading: "Dear Papa, I am longing to see you in the ship, Love from Charles".

Handmade cards by a very young Princess Anne for her father, featuring a yacht, house and balloons, are also set for auction for between £300 and £600.

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