A childhood drawing of a sailing boat by King Charles, created when he was ten years old at Cheam Preparatory School, has sold at auction.
The now King, who was a young Prince at the time, drew the picture using red, yellow, and blue pencils, marking it with "D 3" and signing it "Prince Charles." The drawing was reportedly gifted to Stella Jack, the head matron at the boarding school during his attendance.
Stella Jack, known for her strictness and good sense of humour, was affectionately called "dragon" by the Prince. King Charles remained fond of her, sending flowers for her 90th birthday 50 years later. When she died in 2010, he wrote a letter of condolence to her family, recalling her care during his bout of chickenpox. The family kept the drawing and decided to auction it after another of his works, a watercolour of Lochnagar at Balmoral, was recently sold.
According to the Mirror, Clevedon Auctions of Bristol sold the drawing for £1,500, rising to £1,896 with fees. Henry Michallet of Clevedon Auctions said, "The picture was drawn on a sheet of A4 school paper which still has very faint lines on it. The then Prince Charles used a mix of coloured pencils and a Biro pen for it. We think he drew the picture for Stella Jack."
The Mirror reports that Stella Jack attended Cheltenham Ladies School as a child and became head matron at Cheam School after World War Two, serving until her retirement in 1974. She was a key figure for the boarding boys and their parents, including many interactions with the Royal Family.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ