Stolen secrets of Queen’s Christmas under the hammer

ONE can’t be too careful with ith the staff. The Royal Family will be aghast to learn that a former er bodyguard in the royal household squirrelled away gift-tags from their Christmas presents, inscribed with personal greetings from The Queen, Princece Charles, the Queen Mother and close relations.

The security aide, who served in the 1960s and 1970s and is now dead, kept the mementos secret while alive, but his family have no such scruples.

They are cashing in on the royal connection by putting the 19 lots up for auction in South London later this month, seemingly without the knowledge of the Palace.

Buckingham Palace, perhaps mindful of the row when Paul Burrell, Princess Diana’s disgraced ex-butler, was acquitted of stealing 342 items, is maintaining a dignified silence and declines to comment.

Still, the festive greetings being put up for sale by Brian Reeve Stamp Auctions provide an intimate glimpse of Christmas Day chez the Windsors.

The Queen signs gifts to nephew Viscount Linley with her nickname ‘Lilibet’, a sobriquet she acquired as a young girl because she couldn’t pronounce her own name. That particular tag is expected to f fetcht h £500 £500. P Princei Phili Philip wishesih his sons, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward: ‘A bouncing Christmas from Papa.’

There is also one signed from a mystery P: ‘Darling One, I hope this will be a lucky gift for you! All my love P.’

Princess Anne by contrast appears to have been rather more perfunctory in her salutations to her younger brother Prince Edward. ‘Edward from Anne’ is how she curtly addresses him.

Prince Charles, meanwhile, appears to have given the Queen’s cousin Princess Alexandra something appropriately strong to endure the family get-together.

He signs his present with the cheery message: ‘With all love for a very happy, inebriated Christmas from Charles.’ That’s the Royal Christmas spirit.