A hospice in Norfolk is selling off a range of royal Christmas cards from the late 20th century after the coronavirus pandemic hit its fundraising this year.
The Norfolk Hospice, Tapping House received the cards as a gift from a former Sandringham Estate worker at the end of 2019 and decided to put them up for auction. They will be sold by Rowley’s Auction House in Ely on December 12th 2020.
The cards include some featuring Prince William and Prince Harry in the late 1990s as well as an historic festive greeting from The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh from 1998 which features the couple with all their children and the six grandchildren they had at the time. Also up for auction is the last Christmas card sent in the 20th century by the Monarch which includes an image of her with her mother, The Queen Mother, and the greeting from 2016, the year of her 90th birthday.
Roddy Lloyd, Managing Director at Rowley’s, told the Lynn News that ”we hope their sale will give the hospice an early Christmas present.”
Lyndsay Carter, Chief Executive of the Norfolk Hospice, told the paper that ”This auction is a fantastic opportunity for us to raise vital funds during these difficult times, as many of our traditional fundraising activities have been impacted this year.”
The cards have estimates from £50 to £150 and are available to view, ahead of the sale, on the Rowley’s website. They will be auctioned on December 12th 2020.
