Auctions

Queen Elizabeth’s Childhood Doodles and Handwritten Letter Are Headed to Auction

The personal note was discovered tucked in a suitcase under a bed, among a trove of royal correspondence

February 18, 2026

Vintage suitcase with family photos, ration books, letters, and documents displayed, evoking historical memories and nostalgia. — Ration books, letters and photographs are among the archive found in a Harrods suitcase. Photo: Courtesy of Hansons Auctioneers

While Queen Elizabeth II’s love of corgis and horses was well-documented, an upcoming auction featuring a handwritten letter and doodles from her childhood shows her affection extended to all animals. At Hansons Auctioneers later this month, a letter addressed to Beatrice Stillman, the head housemaid at Royal Lodge in Windsor, written by the then-10-year-old princess while she was on break in Praa Sands in Cornwall, checks to see “if the birds are well, and the goldfish haven’t died.” The note is accompanied by doodles of dogs, horses, and children, and had been kept in a suitcase under a relative of Stillman’s bed among other royal correspondence undiscovered for years, according to the auction house.

Illustrated letter with drawings of a horse, people, and text mentioning primroses and seaside, addressed to John and others. — The letter from the late Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) when she was Princess Elizabeth to Beatrice Stillman (1901-1993) head housemaid at Royal Lodge, including doodles of horses, dogs and children. It has an estimate of £2,000-£4,000 at Hansons Auctioneers’ Kent saleroom in Penshurst on February 27 Photo: Courtesy of Hansons Auctioneers

“When I first saw the letter, it gave me goosebumps,” says Justin Matthews, of Hansons Auctioneers’s Penshurst saleroom. “Queen Elizabeth II, as we remember her—with her love of dogs and horses—is astoundingly evident in this letter penned by her younger self.

Vintage black and white portrait of a woman with short, wavy hair, wearing a dark blouse, gazing thoughtfully. — Beatrice Stillman (1901-1993), who was appointed head housemaid at Royal Lodge in 1936, she married Alfred Twyman, a gardener on the estate, in 1946. The letters remained in the family until they were discovered by Beatrice’s great nephew William Westacott two years ago. Photo: Courtesy of Hansons Auctioneers

Handwritten note on torn paper asking Beatrice to look after a bathing suit, signed by someone named Margaret. — A piece of paper with pencil annotation: Beatrice! Please could you look after my bathing suit? Margaret. It is part of the same lot with a guide price of £2,000-£4,000. Photo: Courtesy of Hansons Auctioneers

The personal note, which also asks Stillman to share the primroses the young royal had picked with other staff, is expected to fetch upwards of $5,000 when it’s offered on February 27. “We are already seeing a great deal of interest in this incredible letter which, as well as revealing the innermost concerns of the future queen, is an important and charming historic document.”

Vintage family portrait with two adults and two children, dressed formally, posing together in a round frame. — George VI (1895-1952) and the Queen Consort (later the Queen Mother) (1900-2002) with Princess Margaret and Princess Elizabeth. Photo: Courtesy of Hansons Auctioneers

Other personal artifacts in the collection include a letter from Princess Margaret asking Stillman, “could you please look after my bathing suit?” And later correspondence relating to invitations, engagements, and other life milestone events.