The personal belongings of
Princess Margaret are being sold by her
children, to raise
money to pay £3 million
inheritance tax on her estate.
Belongings including
jewellery and
furniture went up for sale at Christie’s
auction house in
London . The sale has been a controversial one with rumours of Lord Snowdon being unhappy about some of the items being put forward for auction.
The auction started yesterday and has already raised £10 million, with some of the proceeds going to the Princess Margaret
Fund at the
Stroke Association and other
charities .
Among the items was the Princesses cigarette case which sold for over £100,000. A 9ct
gold Cartier case with a
sapphire clasp which was given to her by King George VI in 1949 was estimated at being sold for up to £5,000. The actual price it sold for was £102,000. The famous
diamond wedding tiara sold yesterday for £926,000 and a romantic
portrait of the late Princess painted by Pietro Annigoni in 1957 were also sold at the auction.
The sale today included a
wooden chair that belonged to Queen Mary with
velvet upholstery which was made especially for the Coronation in 1937. The estimate given was £300 - £500 but it in fact sold for £38,000.
A short statement from Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Queen was told of the sale and of which items were to be sold.
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