Charles’ charming drawings of ‘Mummy and Papa’: Sweet childhood pictures drawn by the King when he was six-years-old are expected to fetch more than £30,000 at auction
- Drawings King Charles produced as a little boy are going up for auction
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Sweet childhood drawings by a six-year-old King Charles including one of ‘Mummy’ and ‘Papa’ are going up for auction.
The crayon and pencil portraits of the late Queen and Prince Philip, drawn by Charles between 1953 and 1955, are expected to reach up to £30,000.
The Queen, then in her late 20s, is shown in a yellow dress with pink stripes.
She is carrying her signature handbag while also sporting earrings and tiara.
Meanwhile Philip, in his early 30s at the time, in wearing a dinner suit and bow tie.
Sweet childhood drawings by a six-year-old King Charles including one of ‘Mummy’ and ‘Papa’ are going up for auction. The crayon and pencil portraits of the late Queen and Prince Philip, drawn by Charles between 1953 and 1955, are expected to reach up to £30,000
They are part of an ‘extraordinary’ royal memorabilia collection which includes ten early drawings by the King
Prince Charles is seen in 1951 aged four with Prince Philip, the Queen and Princess Anne
They are part of an ‘extraordinary’ royal memorabilia collection which includes ten early drawings by the King.
It also includes royal letters, family photos, Christmas cards and a 1937 Buckingham Palace manuscript menu diary.
The 7x9inch drawings belonged to Henry Ramsay Maule, a British correspondent for New York Daily News who covered the Royal Family for decades.
After his death in 1981, the drawings remained in the family.
He kept hold of eight other drawings by Charles from the same period showing his early love of sailing and nature.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, with a childhood drawing of Queen Elizabeth II drawn by a very young King Charles
Prince Charles sketching in the gardens of Omiya Palace during a break in his official tour of Japan, May 1986
The sale includes this collection of candid pictures of the late Queen and Princess Margaret in their youth, as well as candid photos of Prince Philip as a young man.
Many of the drawings appear to be for Charles, with notes reading ‘Dear Papa, I am longing to see you in this ship’ and ‘Dear Papa, Love From Charles’ written on the back of many.
What’s for sale and how much is it expected to reach?
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-£3,000.
A picture of a rabbit, owl, deer, squirrels, and an Easter card featuring the Easter bunny are 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, £300-£600..
Photos from 1957-61 also show a young King Charles, Princess Anne, Princess Margaret, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mother.
Further images set for auction show Prince Philip from childhood through to adult life, including photos of him playing with a kitten.
Charles drew a racing boat at Cowes, Isle of Wight, as well as charming pictures of birds, rabbits, owls, deer and squirrels.
One sketch shows a master sailor receiving ‘hair restorer’, perhaps a nod to the hair loss in his family.
Maule, from Reading, was the author of several books and worked as British correspondent at the New York Daily News for 21 years specialising in royal stories.
He also wrote, under a pseudonym, All The Queen’s Children, an authoritative book about Queen 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 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, every-day 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.
‘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.’
Charles was taught to paint as a child by Robert Waddell and then received tutelage from British artists Edward Seago and John Napier.
He still paints today, and has spoken of his love for watercolour landscapes of Royal residences and other beauty spots.
The 7x9inch drawings (pictured) belonged to Henry Ramsay Maule, a British correspondent for New York Daily News who covered the Royal Family for decades
Many of the drawings appear to be for Charles, with notes reading ‘Dear Papa, I am longing to see you in this ship’ and ‘Dear Papa, Love From Charles’ written on the back of many
Nature clearly inspired many of the drawings with rabbits being a big feature
They are now being sold by Hansons Auctioneers, of Etwall, Derbyshire, with an overall estimate of £30,000.
The sale takes place on June 16.
Last year, Charles told how he finds painting so relaxing that it ‘transports him into another dimension’ as the largest ever display of his artwork was staged, with 79 of his watercolours – the first full exhibition of his work in the medium – shown at The Garrison Chapel in Chelsea, west London.
The paintings depict Scottish landscapes such as the Huna Mill at John O’Groats and Glen Callater near Balmoral, and scenes from the south of France and Tanzania.
In a display panel, Charles says the hobby ‘refreshes parts of the soul which other activities can’t reach’.
They are part of an ‘extraordinary’ royal memorabilia collection which includes ten early drawings by the King as well as family photos (pictured)
It also includes royal letters, family photos, Christmas cards and a 1937 Buckingham Palace manuscript menu diary (early pictures of the family are shown)
They are now being sold by Hansons Auctioneers, of Etwall, Derbyshire, with an overall estimate of £30,000
‘You become increasingly aware of things that may have escaped your attention previously – the quality of light and shade, of tone and texture and of the shape of buildings,’ he said at the time.
‘It all requires the most intense concentration and consequently is one of the most relaxing and therapeutic exercises I know.
‘In fact, in my case, I find it transports me into another dimension which, quite literally, refreshes parts of the soul which other activities can’t reach.
‘I took up painting entirely because I found photography less than satisfying.
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 picture of a rabbit, owl, deer, squirrels, and an Easter card featuring the Easter bunny (pictured) are expected to make a total of around £6,500
A delivery van in Harrod’s-style livery stating ‘Happybright, Mr Charles’s Shop’ could also make £2,000-£3,000
‘I experienced an overwhelming urge to express what I saw through the medium of watercolour.
‘I very quickly discovered how incredibly difficult it is to paint well in such a spontaneous medium.
‘Looking back now at those first sketches I did, I am appalled by how bad they are.’
He adds: ‘I am under no illusion that my sketches represent great art or a burgeoning talent.’
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