Letter Written By 6-Year-Old King Charles To His ‘Granny’ The Queen Mother Found In Couple’s Attic

Mar 03, 2023 by apost team

A couple clearing out the attic in their home in Warwickshire, England was astonished to find a handwritten letter by King Charles III to his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, in 1955. The then-future king of the United Kingdom was just 6 years old.

The letter was discovered inside a folder containing other royal correspondence which was kept in a cardboard box for over 40 years. The couple said the box belonged to their late grandfather, Roland Stockdale, a former member of the Metropolitan Police, but they were not aware of the value of its contents.

Charles was especially close to The Queen Mother, who passed away in 2002 at 101 years old. She was a widow for nearly 50 years following the death of King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen Mother was the guiding force behind the reign of her daughter, who had to devote her life to duty toward her country following her father's death while trying to raise two very young children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne before she later had two more kids. According to historian Gareth Russell in his book, "Do Let's Have Another Drink!: The Dry Wit and Fizzy Life of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother," The Queen Mother had to look after Charles and Anne since Queen Elizabeth II needed to constantly be on royal tours.

She was the royal children's second mother and was the person who shaped and prepared her grandson for his future role as the monarch. She also strongly believed in upholding traditions and was resistant to changes and modernization but she adored her grandson and shared the same sense of humor. 

Following her death, Charles said in his tribute that he was "utterly devoted" to his grandmother and dreaded the thought of losing her because "she meant everything." 

“Dear Granny, I am sorry that you are ill. I hope you will be better soon,” young Charles' letter to his grandmother read. It was dated March 15, 1955, and was written on a Buckingham Palace notepad with some doodles next to colorful kisses. "Lots of love, from Charles," it ended.

Stockdale's collection also included a rare find — Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas speech from 1956, alongside postcards sent by Her Majesty to her staff, menus, a dance invitation to Balmoral Castle, notes signed by the Queen Mother and letters from William Talon, the Queen Mother's devoted staff member. Stockdale's grandson, who chose to remain anonymous, said that his grandfather used to work part of the protection force for the queen in the 1950s. 

"I was told he was originally involved in helping to protect the Queen Mother but he probably worked with several royals over time," he said. 

He recalled that his grandfather didn't speak much about his work for the British royal family but the unearthed letters showed he was a well-regarded servant. The box of letters was passed from Stockdale to his son in 1983 and then his son's wife, the current owner's mother, inherited the items more than 10 years ago. However, no one gave it a look through all those years until the attic clean up. 

"For the last 30 to 40 years’ it’s been gathering dust inside various lofts,” the grandson added. 

Stockdale's collection is going up for auction on March 7, 2023, at Hansons Auctioneers. King Charles' letter to his grandmother is said to be worth $2,400 to $3,600.

apost.com

The bond between King Charles and The Queen Mother is indeed a solid one. What do you think of his sweet letter to his grandmother? Do you know a royal fan? Tell them about this amazing find!