A collectionthatcontainsitems related to royalty, including Christmas cards featuring Prince Andrew and private thank-you notessentbymembers of the Royal Family, sold for more than £12,000 at auction—surpassing its pre-sale estimate of £8,000.
Theauctiontookplaceat Hansons Auctioneers in Etwall,closetoDerbyon Thursday.
Alan Maxwell, a photographic adviser from Harrogate,ownedthecollection and was employedat Wallace Heaton Ltd, the official photographic supplier to the Royal Family.
Maxwell wasakey playerin managing their photographic needs, handling the supply and framing of prints, and assisting in selecting images for Christmas cards.
Auction house owner Charles Hanson Hanson told the BBC:
"The Royal Family, among the most photographed people in the world, relied on Maxwell for their photographic needs - and he was a perfectionist."
Theitemsthatstoodoutwere an autographedChristmas card from Charles and Diana, Prince and Princess of Walesfrom 1984, whichcommandeda price of£1,000,andlooseitems.A personal thank-you note from Diana to Maxwell underscored their close working relationship.
QueenElizabethIIandherdogsweredepictedininformalphotographsinthe collection,alongwitha note about prints beingeaten by the puppies.
Justin Matthews from Hansons was “amazed” when the seller first brought the collection to their Penshurst office.