1950s Royalty

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Recently re-discovered poignant portraits of the Royal family in the 1950s are to be sold at auction.
The intimate pictures include a snap of a gleeful young Prince Charles sitting on a deer while his doting parents and grandparents proudly look on.
King George VI can be seen gazing intently at his smiling young grandson, with Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and Princess Margaret also watching closely. Touchingly, the Queen Mother has her hand supporting Prince Charles, believed to be aged three, to prevent him from slipping off the ornamental deer.

From left, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother look on as a young Prince Charles sits on an ornamental deer in this family portrait of the Royals in the 1950s

The collection of ten pictures also features Princess Anne as a toddler beaming between her mother and aunt. In another snap, the Queen supports the young princess as she takes some tentative steps along a wall as a smiling Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother watch.

A family portrait shows the Royals standing behind Princess Anne in her pram, as her brother Prince Charles dangles a hand in a nearby fountain.

 

Experts believe the set was taken between 1951 and 1952 - just before King George VI's death on February 6.

The collection of pictures, includes the family posing behind Princess Anne in her pram, from left, Prince Charles, the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Prince Philip, King George VI and the Queen

The photographs were purchased from a couple during a house clearance eight years ago, then sat forgotten in a drawer in a Somerset home until recently when the owner decided to reveal them during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

The owner took them to Charterhouse Auctioneers in Sherborne, Dorset, where they are expected to fetch up to £250. Auctioneer and valuer Richard Bromwell, a partner at the firm, said the 6.5 x 9cm photographs gave an extraordinary insight into the Royal Family in the 1950s.

King George VI watches granddaughter Princess Anne walking along a wall - taken not long before his death, another shows the  princess with her mother and aunt

... 'They are a fabulous series of black and white photographs which provide a snap shot into a day with the Royals. Some are in a relaxed family pose and some are more formal.

'I particularly like the image of Prince Charles sitting on a deer mounted on a fountain with his grandmother having an outstretched arm just in case he falls. In a way, they are very poignant. Although we do not know exactly when they were taken, looking at Prince Charles and Princess Anne, I would estimate them to be taken around 1951, and possibly even just before King George VI passed away on 6th February 1952.'

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