An exceptional Royal collection of cards from Her Majesty Qu...

Estimate

£2,500 - £3,000

An exceptional Royal collection of cards from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Philip Sent to June Guerin RVN, a much loved and trusted member of the Royal household June Guerin was a Senior Housemaid at Buckingham Palace for 22 years. The collection contains 24 Christmas cards from Her Majesty dating from 1987 up to 2018 (some years missing) most are likely autopen, although some are possibly handwritten. The collection also contains two personal cards from Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York One a Christmas card with photos of Prince Andrew with the young Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. The message reads: 'Dear June thank you for your support. Best wishes Sarah' And one other large handmade Christmas card with photographs of Princess Beatrice and Eugenie in swimsuits by swimming pool which reads: 'Dear June with many thanks for your lovely letters and your prayers, we had some special times and it is so great to think back on them with your letter. All love to you, Duchess of York, Sarah, Beatrice and Eugenie' Other items include photographs of June receiving her RVM and a copy of the Service held at Westminster Abbey in November 2007 a celebration to mark the diamond wedding anniversary of her Majesty the queen and his royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, etc. It is rare for a phenomenal collection such as this to come onto the market. June Guerin now has dementia and is in a care home and her family have made the difficult decision to sell these treasured items to help with her care. Her Great Niece has written a wonderful statement about June which beautifully conveys the spirit of her much loved Aunt: My Great Auntie June was the middle child of 5 children, born in Guernsey just before the outbreak of the Second World War. She was evacuated to the mainland with her mother whilst her older two siblings, Joseph and Joan (my nan) went to a school setting in the UK, June was able to remain with mother, Olive, as she was so young. As an adult, June worked for a spell in a bookshop back in Guernsey and joined the armed forces for a few years. Eventually, life brought her to respond to an ad for Royal Household Staff in the Lady magazine and she was soon employed at Buckingham Palace for the late Queen Elizabeth II. June’s career as a housemaid with the Royal Household saw her travel widely with the Royal Family on Royal Yacht Britannia and to other establishments including Windsor Castle, Sandringham and Balmoral. Whilst travelling, she was often given the role of being a Lady’s Maid to the Queen’s Lady in Waiting. I can remember stories of folding clothes in pieces of tissue paper and preparing the Queen’s bedroom for bedtime or going in to open the curtains in the morning. The Queen was fond of June and once whilst on board the Britannia and being dressed by her lady in waiting, she heard June coughing in the cabin next door. The Lady in Waiting later told June that the Queen had remarked, “Is that June coughing next door?” To which the Lady replied, “I do believe it is, Ma’am.” And the Queen commented then, “She really must give up smoking then.” When visiting family in Cornwall, June would always arrive by train in to Penmere Station in white gloves and with a blue leather suitcase with her name tag very clearly marked on the handle. She wasn’t really a fan of us as children, never having had any herself, and would cringe when we sat on the floor and constantly correct our grammar. We were utterly bemused by her - she was unlike anyone else we knew. June was always so discreet about her life with the Royal family and remains devoutly loyal to them but did often recount the time she danced with Prince Philip in the Gay Gordons at a party and then would often see him at the farm shop in Old Windsor where she lived on the Royal Estate when her working days were over. June was with the Royal Family for twenty-two years and upon retirement was awarded the RVM for long service in her final role as Senior Housemaid. Her collection of Christmas Cards and some personally addressed cards from Sarah Ferguson, are a testament to her devotion to the Royal family. June has lived in a care home in Cornwall for the past six years and has advancing vascular dementia these days. She forgets that the Queen and Prince Philip have passed away and gets upset if reminded. A few weeks ago, for the first time, she didn’t recognise me, and thought she was interviewing a potential Lady in Waiting. From the look on her face, I don’t think I got the job. We’d love for June’s collection of cards to be treasured by future generations of people who love the Royal Family the same way that she does.