A run of Christmas cards sent by the Queen and Prince Philip to an employee on the Sandringham estate have been put up for auction.
The cards, dated between 1998 and 2018, include touching as well as amusing photographs of the Royal Family. The lot includes a card for every year between 1998 and 2008.
All are signed by the royal couple and are expected to fetch up to £200 each when they go under the hammer at Rowley’s auction house in Ely, Cambridgeshire.
One from 2017 shows the Queen feeding a banana to an elephant and another from 2004 shows a picture of the couple meeting D-Day veterans.
An unbroken run of Christmas cards sent by the Queen and Prince Philip to an employee on the Sandringham estate have been put up for auction. Pictured: The couple with their children – Princess Anne (pictured beside her husband Timothy Laurence, left), Prince Andrew, Prince Charles and Prince Edward, and their grandchildren Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, Princes William and Harry, and Zara Tindall
Each card is signed by the monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh, with best wishes for Christmas and the New Year, while some feature a handwritten date
The Royal festive greeting for 2007 contains two group photos of the Queen and Philip with their four children, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, and all their spouses – and one of them with all their grandchildren.
The importance the Queen places on horses is shown from the 2012 Christmas card that includes a photo of Prince Philip presenting her with a trophy after her horse won The Queen’s Vase on the fourth day of Royal Ascot.
All the money raised from the sale, which takes place on Saturday, will be donated to the Norfolk Hospice in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, which is selling the collection.
Roddy Lloyd, managing director of the auction house, said: ‘There is always an enormous amount of interest in items relating to the Royal Family and there are many collectors of Royal Christmas cards.
All the money raised from the sale, which takes place on Saturday, will be donated to the Norfolk Hospice in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, which is selling the collection. Pictured: a card from 2007 showing the Queen and her grandchildren – Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Princes William and Harry, Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips and Lady Louise Windsor
The same card from 2007, which featured two images: this one shows the Queen with her children and their spouses, Charles’ wife Camilla Parker-Bowles, Anne’s husband Timothy Lawrence and Edward’s wife Sophie Wessex
This sweet image on the 2017 Christmas card shows the Queen feeding an elephant a banana during a visit to Whipsnade Zoo
The Queen’s Christmas card from 2016 which shows her waving at crowds with Prince Philip on the Mall during Trooping the Colour
This image, featured on the 2004 Christmas card from the Royal household, shows the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh meeting veterans on D-Day
In the 1999 Christmas card, the Queen included an image of her and Prince Philip with the Queen Mother, who passed away in March 2002
‘Many of the collectors are in the US and their interest has increased since Prince Harry moved there.
‘They have been consigned by a former worker at Sandringham who clearly knew the family well.
‘There is a full run of Christmas cards from the Queen and Prince Philip from 1998 until the present.
‘And there are also several cards from Prince Charles which show lovely pictures of him and his two sons.
Roddy Lloyd, managing director of the auction house, said: ‘There is always an enormous amount of interest in items relating to the Royal Family and there are many collectors of Royal Christmas cards.’ Pictured: the card in 2000
The cards have been consigned by a former worker at Sandringham who clearly knew the family well. Pictured: the Queen and Philip with their dogs in 2001
The 2002 card featured a shot from the Golden Jubilee celebrations, which marked the 50th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne
The couple posed for a formal photograph on a royal staircase for the 2006 Christmas card
The importance the Queen places on horses is shown from the 2012 Christmas card that includes a photo of Prince Philip presenting her with a trophy after her horse won The Queen’s Vase on the fourth day of Royal Ascot
The photograph that featured on the 2014 card showed the Queen and Prince Philip at the naming ceremony of HMS Queen Elizabeth at the Rosyth Dockyard in Fife, Scotland, in July that year
The photograph used on the 2018 card was taken in October that year and showed the Queen and Prince Philip at Princess Eugenie’s wedding to Jack Brooksbank
‘We anticipate a lot of interest in these and they are in excellent condition, as if they have just been pulled from the envelope.’
Lyndsay Carter, chief executive at The Norfolk Hospice, added: ‘We were absolutely delighted to receive this generous donation of Royal Christmas cards late last year, illustrating fascinating snapshots of Royal history.
‘This auction is a fantastic opportunity for us to raise vital funds during these difficult times, as many of our traditional fundraising activities have been impacted this year and our charity shops had to temporarily close once again in November.’
The card from 2009. The printed message, ‘With best wishes for Christmas and the New Year’, remained the same from 1998 to 2008
Lyndsay Carter, chief executive at The Norfolk Hospice, added: ‘We were absolutely delighted to receive this generous donation of Royal Christmas cards late last year, illustrating fascinating snapshots of Royal history.’ Pictured: the 2008 card showing Prince Philip wearing a kilt while pictured at Crathie Kirk in Scotland, best known for being the regular place of worship of the Royal Family when they are in residence at the nearby Balmoral Castle
This picture from the 2003 Christmas card showed Prince Philip in dress uniform for Trooping the Colour
Prince Philip opted for a bow tie in 2011 while Queen went for a crown for the Irish State Banquet
A festive shot for 2010! The Queen and Prince Philip posed beside their Christmas tree for this card
In 2005, the Queen shared a photograph of her and Prince Philip at a ceremony commemorating the end of the First World War on July 10 that year
Hats were the theme for the 2013, which showed the monarch and Prince Philip in their finery
Giving the crowds a wave! The 2015 Christmas card featured a photo of the Queen and Prince Philip at Royal Ascot