Royal Memorabilia Auction Result

A note in which the Queen Mother asked her aide to pack gin and Dubonnet sold for £16,000 – five times more than had been expected. The hand-written note, the subject of a fierce telephone bidding exchange, asked for an outdoor lunch, with an additional comment at the end. "I think that I will take two small bottles of Dubonnet and gin with me this morning, in case it is needed." A letter to Mr Tallon from Princess Diana, after the birth of Prince William, sold for £5,000, while another seven letters from the Princess sold for £15,000 in total.

Initial indications are that 700 lots have sold for close to £500,000; bidders had arrived from overseas and North America in particular which helped the auction reach such a large figure