King Charles’s childhood drawings and paintings fetch £57,000 at auction

Adorable childhood drawings of ‘Mummy’ and ‘Papa’ sketched by a young King Charles III sold for £57,000 today. 

The drawings, which were listed by Hansons Auctioneers for £30,000, were sold as part of a collection that includes rarely seen snaps of a young King Charles with his sister Princess Anne on a swing, as well as fishing at Balmoral and driving in a palace grounds.

One photo shows Charles as a young boy picking up a fish during a trip, while another shows him behind the wheel of a car. 

Also included in the collection are glamorous photos of the Queen and Prince Philip in their twenties.

The Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, who died in 2002, is seen in the snaps, while the Queen herself looks exceptionally glamorous in shots from the early years of her marriage.

King George and the Queen mother are also included in some of the rare shots. 

They are part of an ‘extraordinary’ royal memorabilia collection which includes ten early drawings by the King.

The collection was expected to go for £30,000, but in fact sold for almost double. 

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

The crayon and pencil portraits of the late Queen and Prince Philip , were drawn by Charles between 1953 and 1955.

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.

 

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.

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.

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.

‘This collection will help people relate to him even more in his role as our monarch.

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.

‘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.

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’.

‘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

‘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.’