Childhood keepsakes have revealed a touching side of Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022 aged 96. Among them is a handwritten letter she sent as a young girl while holidaying in Praa Sands, Cornwall, to her head maid, Beatrice Stillman—who kept it in a briefcase long after leaving royal service.
The one-page letter, written when Elizabeth was about 10, was later found by Ms Stillman’s great-nephew, William Westacott, tucked away under a bed. It reads: “Sea Side, Sea Meads, Praa Sands.
“Dear Beatrice, I am sending you some primroses we picked, wild. There are some pale pink ones as well as the yellow. It is very lovely here. We can go down on to the beach from the garden.
“I hope the birds are well, and the gold-fish haven’t died. Will you please give Cootie (Miss Coote I mean) and Mrs Wade some of the primroses to share. Jock is very well and happy here. Nanny and Joanna send their love to you.
“Love from Elizabeth.”
Although the identities of “Cootie” and Mrs Wade aren’t known, “Jock” is understood to have been Elizabeth’s pony at the time. “Nanny” referred to her long-time governess Marion Crawford, famously known as Crawfie.
The note is also decorated with drawings scattered across the page, including two horses and highwaymen, a girl reading a book named Mary, a dog called Jim and a boy named John. There is also an elaborately drawn image of a man on horseback jumping a five-gate bar, alongside another figure patting a horse.
The letter is part of a broader archive Ms Stillman retained after joining the Royal Household in 1936. Among the documents is her official letter of engagement on behalf of the Duchess of York, later the Queen Mother, dated May 22, 1936. Another discovery was an undated slip of paper featuring a pencil note from Princess Margaret, who was six when Ms Stillman began her role: “Beatrice! Please could you look after my bathing suit? Margaret.”
Ms Stillman joined the royal household when Princess Elizabeth was 10 and Princess Margaret six, and the tone of the letters suggests a relationship that remained warm over time. In 1946, Ms Stillman married Alfred Twyman, a gardener at Windsor Castle. When she died in 1991, the suitcase containing the letters and Christmas cards passed to her niece, Jean Westacott. After Jean died two years ago, her son William and the family found the collection under her bed.
“We knew the letters existed, but to read them in the flesh was a ‘wow’ moment,” Westacott told The Telegraph.
The items are now set to go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers in Penshurst, Kent, on February 27, with the late Queen’s childhood letter tipped to fetch £4,000 (about AUD$8000). Auctioneer Justin Matthew said the message left a strong impression. “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,” he said. “From these few lines we understand everything we later know about the late Queen. She is seen to be observant, kind and concerned with others’ wellbeing, just as she was in later years.”
He also pointed to the contrast between the sisters’ notes. “While Princess Elizabeth’s concerns are all about her pets and the welfare of staff, Princess Margaret’s are slightly more sartorial. Both seem rather fitting for the women they grew up to be.”
The archive heading to auction also includes ration books, additional letters and photographs.
