Christmas in August! A collection of 35 Christmas cards sent by Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburghsold at an auction on Friday in Gloucestershire. The holiday greetings, which were sent between 1959 and 2001, highlight fascinating changes in the royal family. The British monarch has been sending out official Christmas cards to her friends and family since 1952. According to BBC News, the assortment was purchased for £1,530.
A spokesman for the auctioneers who handled the sale, Moore Allen and Innocent, reflected on the items, saying: "The cards have created a fascinating record of the Royal Family growing year by year, with photographs taken by The Duke of York, Lord Snowdon, and official photographers.” The rep went on to divulge specifics on the auction, reporting: "The top individual lot price was the £280 paid for the earliest cards - those from 1959, 1960 and 1961."
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Each card was listed individually at the auction, allowing buyers to take home whichever one they desired. The item descriptions detailed the year and where the photographs were taken. To the purchasers’ delight, the Queen and her husband Philip personally signed all of the cards. A card from 1998 shows Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and the family (including young princes William and Harry) posing with their beloved pets, the year after Princess Diana’s death.
This past holiday season, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spread cheer with a Christmas card for their fans. The royal couple thanked their fans for support over the year with a lovely photo form their 2016 royal tour of Canada. Taken by British photographer Arthur Edwards, the photo featured William and Kate Middleton holding their two young children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.