British Monarch `stops sale of Queen Mother`s letters`

London: In an unusual move, the British Monarch has personally intervened to stop the sale of intimate letters penned by Queen Mother, after her cousin tried to cash in with a low-key auction of the royal memorabilia.The letters were among dozens of highly personal items which Lady Elizabeth Anson, the Queen Mother`s niece and Queen`s first cousin, had been hoping to sell at last month`s Paris auction.

They were withdrawn on orders from Buckingham Palace after Her Majesty found out her mother`s secrets were about to be sold to the highest bidder, the `Sunday Express` reported. The auction was publicised solely in France, where 68-year-old Lady Elizabeth spent much of her childhood. Auctioneers Coutau Begarie refused to disclose the amount raised by the sale but an insider said: "It amounted to thousands of pounds. It would have been a hundred times that amount if the other items had been included." The unnamed source added: "Instead they were removed at the 11th hour, causing the auctioneers a great deal of embarrassment and leaving many potential buyers unhappy. "The items included intimate notes written by the Queen Mother, as well as many other personal items. The seller was convinced there was no problem but the Queen and her staff clearly thought otherwise. We were told the items had to be removed from sale on the express orders of the Palace." Items which did go under the hammer include Christmas cards sent by members of the Royal Family and a programme from the Queen Mother’s wedding in 1923. A spokesman for Coutau Begarie said: "We can confirm that the numerous lots withdrawn will not be sold in future. They have been withdrawn from sale permanently." PTI