Unpublished photos of the Prince and Princess of Wales (Charles and Diana) in 1982, just over a year after their fairytale wedding, and with their three-month-old son, Prince William, will be put into auction on March 4, 2023.
The photos were properties of Sir John King, Baron King of Wartnaby, former chairman of the British Airways and a close friend of the British royal family. He died in 2005.
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| The Prince of Wales, The Queen, and Baron King of Wartnaby in Balmoral. September 1982. Credit: Willingham Auctions |
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| The Queen, Baron King, and Prince Charles. Credit: Willingham Auctions |
Also seen in the photos is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who was 56 years old at that time. The Queen shows in a casual conversation with her son, the Prince of Wales, and Baron King.
The photos, believed to be 22 pieces, will come complete with the original negatives and folder. It will be auctioned online at Willingham Auctions in Cambridgeshire on March 4, 2023, at 10am.
It will surely be a photograph collector's dream since it comes with the original negatives, which further means that whoever wins the bid will own the copyright of the photos.
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| The young Princess of Wales, 21, and her three-month old son, Prince William. Credit: Willingham Auctions |
The photos offer a rare insight into the family life of the Prince and Princess of Wales when not performing royal duties.
When the photos were taken, the new parents were holidaying in Balmoral with the Queen and Prince Philip, taken with them their newborn son. Princess Diana was only 21 years old at that time.
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| Prince Charles and baby William Credit: Willingham Auctions |
The location of the photographs was believed to be outside Craigowan Lodge, the favorite place of the Queen and Prince Philip within the Balmoral estate and where they normally stayed during the summer break. It's also where Prince Charles and Princess Diana stayed when they are in Balmoral during their marriage.
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| The wide-eyed Prince William gazed at his father Credit: Willingham Auctions |
Several images show a cheerful Prince Charles cradling Prince William. In the father-and-son pictures, Charles is wearing a jumper over the top of a pale shirt as he dotes on the three-month-old.
Princess Diana also cradled baby William and proudly showed off to Baron King in one of the photos. She was wearing brown trousers, rain boots, and a white blouse topped with a brown jacket, Another photo shows her leaning against a bench with the stunning Scottish Highlands in the background .
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| The Princess of Wales was only 21 when the photos were taken in 1982. Credit: Willingham Auctions |
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| Diana, the Princess of Wales. Credit: Willingham Auctions |
Separate photographs show her and her husband, Prince Charles, relaxing on the grounds of Balmoral, overlooking the River Dee.
Sitting beside a stream of water, Princess Diana sits on a blue parka jacket wearing green wellies, blue corduroy trousers and a yellow jumper. Prince Charles sits next to her, leaning back on his elbows and wearing a maroon jumper over a pale blue polo.
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| The Prince and Princess of Wales relaxing on the grounds of Balmoral overlooking the River Dee. Credit: Willingham Auctions |
Stephen Drake, an auctioneer at Willingham Auctions, said the pictures offer “a really personal insight” into the beloved Princess of Wales as she takes a break from the public eye.
Stephen Drake of Willingham Auctions is coordinating the sale and said "the sky is the limit" regarding how much the rare photos might sell for.
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| Princess Diana proudly shows off baby William to Baron King |
There were plenty of photos, public and private, taken of the late Princess of Wales, but these photos about to be auctioned are very personal one.
According to Drake, because the photos were taken in a relaxed environment, out of the public eye, and in a time when the Prince and Princess of Wales were just starting their family.
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| Baron King and Princess Diana |
"As auctioneers, we are only custodians of our items for a short amount of time, and it's very exciting to have them here. It really is causing a huge amount of interest," Drake explained to the Daily Mirror.
"The sky is the limit on the price. We have never had anything like this before. Plenty of pictures have been sold of Princess Diana before, but nothing as relaxed as this and nothing as early in her marriage."
According to Drake, what's particularly special about this set is that the pictures come with negatives, so the buyer will also own the copyright. Raising the stakes, no other copies of these pictures are known to exist, he said.
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| Princess Diana cradles her three month old son, Prince William |
The photos projected a happy and relaxed family life of the Prince and Princess of Wales, with their newborn son.
It was a period where members of the public and traditional royalists were anticipating a happy married life of Charles and Diana.
But 10 years later after these photos were taken, Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced legal separation and got divorced in August 1996.
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