The late Queen Elizabeth II had many interests, including horse racing and Scottish country dancing, but new information about a hobby she had during her childhood has been unearthed.
According to a report published by The Telegraph, drawings made by a very young Elizabeth have been discovered under a bed, with artwork including drawings of dogs, horses, children and more, alongside a handwritten note that was addressed to Beatrice Stillman, the head housemaid at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
The letter, which the publication claims is estimated to fetch £4,000 in an upcoming auction, also refers to Jock, who is understood to have been one of the Queen’s ponies, and Marion Crawford, her nanny at the time.
The full note reads: “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 onto the beach from the garden.
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“I hope the birds are well, and the goldfish 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,” the future Queen concluded.
William Westacott, the great-nephew of Beatrice Stillman, was the one to discover the letter in an archive of correspondence that she kept after the royal family took her on, which also includes a pencil-written request from a young Princess Margaret.
The items from the archive will be put up for auction at Hansons Auctioneers in Penshurst, Kent on 27 February.
Queen Elizabeth II’s other surprising hobby
While it was horse racing that she was best known for loving, the late grandmother of Prince William and Prince Harry also enjoyed another very different type of race: pigeon racing.
The royal family had been racing pigeons long before she was born, since 1886, after several birds were gifted to them by King Leopold II of Belgium, but the young Elizabeth developed an interest of her own when she was a child.
Her Majesty was also patron of a number of pigeon racing societies, most notably the Royal Pigeon Racing Association and the National Flying Club. In fact, her pigeons went on to win every major race in the UK.