Thursday, 13th April 2006 (4931 views)

The late Princess Margaret, younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, will have several items of her jewellery, furniture and works of art auctioned at Christie's in London, it was announced this week.

To be held on June 13th and 14th, the auction will comprise more than 800 items of her most esteemed possessions and is thought to have a total value of over £2 million.

One of the highlights of the auction is a £5,000, nine-carat gold gem-set Cartier cigarette case that was presented to Princess Margaret for Christmas in 1949 by "her very devoted Papa", as the inscription reads, King George VI.

The highest single estimate in the collection is for a translucent mauve enamelled silver Faberge clock, with gold decorations. A gift from Queen Mary, the auctioneers value the piece at over three-quarters of a million pounds.

Christie's say this is the first time in history that the private jewellery collection of the sister of a reigning monarch has been offered for sale, although they are careful to say that it does not represent a part of the Crown Jewels, nor the Royal Collection.

The auction has been planned by the late Princess Margaret's two children in order to raise money to help pay an inheritance tax.

 

« Back to the stories

 

The news feeds on this site are independently provided by Adfero Limited © and do not represent the views or opinions of the World Gold Council.