Going once, going twice, sold!! A brief history of royal auctions

There is an irresistible allure to owning something belonging to royalty. Whether the item is a famous jewel, such as the late Princess Margaret's Poltimore tiara to household items such as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's clothing and furniture, each item holds a special cachet as a result of its provenance. In many cases the proceeds from these auctions have gone to charities of the royals choice or to cover estate death duties. Both auction houses Sotheby's and Christie's have conducted royal auctions, and Christie's has a particularly long association with the royal family, starting in 1773 when the property of the Princess of Wales, mother of George III was sold.

via British Monarchy Flickr

Princess Beatrice recently auctioned off the infamous and striking hat designed by Philip Treacy. She wore this hat to Prince William's April wedding and it sparked much comment and attention in the press. Unlike other royal auctions, which have been conducted by Sotheby's or Christie's, Beatrice sold the item through eBay. Wisely capitalizing on the hat's notoriety, she sold it, with the eventual proceeds - $123,325 split between UNICEF and Children in Crisis.

Christie's - Dresses from the Collection of Diana, Princess of Wales - 1997

Via Ronald Reagan library

Inspired by Prince William, Diana, Princess of Wales sold 79 of her dresses, with proceeds of $3.6 million going to AIDS and cancer charities in the United States and the United Kingdom. Since the original sale, several of the dresses have been sold. In April, two dresses were sold for $279,000. 14 dresses, originally purchased by a Florida businesswoman Maureen Rorech Dunkel for $700,000 in 1997, will be sold in Toronto on June 23 through Canadian auction house Waddingtons. Through Ms Dunkel, the 14 dresses became a touring exhibit called Dresses for Humanity. The proceeds from these tours raised money for AIDS, cancer and children's charities globally. Included in this sale is the iconic ink blue Victor Edelstein dress that Diana wore when she danced with John Travolta at the White House in 1985.

Christie's - Property from the Collection of Her Royal Highness The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon - 2006

One of the most glamorous women of her generation, Princess Margaret was renowned for her beauty and for her good taste. In 2006 her children controversially auctioned off her belongings to cover the death taxes for her estate. The 780-lot auction included the Politmore tiara worn at her 1960 wedding. Also included, an extensive collection of jewels, Faberge, silver, paintings, furniture as well as this famous Pietro Annigoni portrait. The proceeds from this sale were £13.7 million.

Sotheby's - The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor - 1987

Arguably one of the most famous jewelery auctions in history, the Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor raised $50.3 million, 7 times its pre-sale estimate. To this day this auction holds the record for a single-owner jewelry collection. The auction comprised 305 lots, many bearing personal inscriptions and  including 87 pieces from Cartier, the Duke and Duchess's favorite jeweler, and 23 items by Van Cleef & Arpels. The proceeds of the original auction went to The Pasteur Institute in Paris. Since 1987, pieces from the Duchess of Windsor's collection have continued to command high bids. In 2010, 20 brooches bracelets and other gems sold for $12.5 million.

Christie's - Property from the Collection of HRH The Prince George, Duke of Kent and HRH Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent and their families - 2009

This auction was not the first time Prince George, Duke of Kent's belongings had been sold at Christie's. After his death in 1942, to raise funds, his widow Princess Marina sold items in a 3-day auction in 1947. The sale included English furniture, objects of art and porcelain and raised £92,300.

In 2009, 200 lots were sold, including linen, photographs, clocks, silver, tapestries, rugs, works of art monogrammed and inscribed jewellery as well as a collection of trowels. Highlights of the auction included a portrait of 3-year old Princess Louise by her mother Queen Victoria. As well as a chair and stool from the 1937 Coronation of his brother King George VI.  A similar chair was sold at Princess Margaret's auction in 2006. The  Duke of Kent's auction raised £2.1 million.

Sotheby's - Duke and Duchess of Windsor auction - 1998

The auction for the contents of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's Paris home was originally set for September 11-19, 1997. But due to the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed, the son of Mohammed Al Fayed, owner of the Windsor's villa in Paris, the auction was postponed to February 1998. 40,000 personal effects belonging to the late Duke and Duchess were auctioned off. A wide range of items formed the auction, including the desk which the Duke, as King Edward VIII signed the Instrument of Abdication in 1936, a piece of their wedding cake, photographs, clothing, furniture, luggage, jewellery and all the way down to their monogrammed bathmats. The nine-day auction raised $23 million, three times the estimated value.

Christie's - Property from the Estate of His Royal Highness The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester - 2006

Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was the third son of King George V. Unlike his brothers, he did not possess magnetic charm nor a fine eye for antiques. Despite their royal provenance, the items in this auction are practical rather than of greater historical significance. The 787 lots include christening gifts, tableware, menu holders, ink stands, furniture, fishing rods, oar blades, backgammon sets, fire irons, fans, parasols, illuminated manuscripts and a dog bed. This auction raised £5.1 million. Proceeds from some items went towards estate taxes as well as the charities Clubs for Young People and the Army Benevolent Fund.

© Marilyn Braun 2011

Thank you for enjoying this article. If you use the information for research purposes, a link to credit the work I've put into writing it would be appreciated.

Royal Focus: The Duchess of Windsor's wedding dress

The Duchess of Windsor's wedding dress was made by American designer Mainbocher for her 1937 wedding to the Duke of Windsor.

Made of sapphire blue silk crepe, the dress was cut simply and was floor length, flaring out at the feet like a mermaids tail. Flute-draped into a heart shape at the bust it had a matching long sleeved jacket fastened with a line of covered buttons the size of shelled peas. The original color of the dress was a color that Mainbocher had created for the Duchess called 'Wallis Blue," to match the Duchess's eyes.

Her hat was a blue straw bonnet trimmed with pink and blue coq feathers by Caroline Reboux. Her pale blue crepe wrist-length gloves opened up on the ring finger of her left hand. On her feet she wore powder blue suede pumps with three-inch heels by Georgette of Paris. Although the dye on the dress has faded, the shoes and the coq feathers decorating the hat have retained their color.

On her wedding day, Wallis Warfield (she had changed back to her maiden name) wore the sapphire and diamond 'marriage contract' bracelet on her right wrist.On her left wrist she wore a diamond bracelet with Latin crosses. At the throat of her blue crepe wedding dress, she wore an art deco geometric style curving double clip with oval sapphires and radiating baguette diamonds. This brooch was made by Van Cleef in 1936.

Shortly after the wedding copies of the Duchess of Windsor's wedding dress, which reportedly cost $250, were being sold in various department stores. Like other royal brides. Even on her wedding day she was a trend-setter.

In 1950 the original dress was donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

© Marilyn Braun 2011

Image of wedding dress via http://www.metmuseum.org/

Wedding day image via Wikipedia

Royal Focus: The Duchess of Windsor's Jewels

When the Duchess of Windsor's jewels were auctioned off by Sotheby's in Geneva in 1987 the two-day sale raised a record $50,281.887, seven times the Sotheby's presale estimate. At the request of the late-Duchess, the money raised went towards the Pasteur Institute, the medical research centre in Paris.

On November 30th, some of the jewels will again be auctioned by Sotheby's.

These jewels were more than just beautiful craftsmanship, they are priceless symbols of love.

This Diamond Cartier bracelet, circa 1935 was designed as a single row of spectacle-set brilliant-cut diamonds, supporting nine gem-set Latin crosses made from Platinum, Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Ruby, Baguette Diamond, Emerald, Amethyst, Aquamarine, and the marriage cross,comprised of Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald. Each cross, inscribed with affectionate phrases, marked special or significant events in the couple's relationship, including their wedding, a birthday, an assassination attempt on King Edward VIII, and the Duchess' appendectomy surgery in 1944,  This jewel was worn at their wedding in 1937.

This Emerald, Ruby and Diamond brooch was made by Cartier in 1957. The brooch is heart-shaped and is pave-set with circular-cut-diamonds, surmounted by a gold and calibre-cut ruby crown. At the center of the heart, the initials W.E. are marked in emeralds. Just below the initials, are the roman numerals XX in rubies.  This brooch was made to commemorate the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's twentieth wedding anniversary.

This Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Citrine and Diamond clip was mounted by Cartier in 1940. Created by Jeanne Troussaint for Cartier it was made by breaking up a necklace and four bracelets in the Duke's collection. Designed as a flamingo, the plumage is set with emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. The beak is set with a cabochon citrine and the head, neck, body and legs with brilliant-cut diamonds. The Duke reportedly gave the Duchess this clip as a birthday gift on June 19, 1940.

The Duchess of Windsor had a fascination with animals and it is no surprise that this fondness was expressed through her jewels. This item is one of several panther jewels in her collection. The Cartier 'Great Cat' Jewels were inspired by Jeanne Toussaint for Cartier, this Onyx and Diamond panther bracelet was made in 1952 and is designed to encircle the wrist, assuming a stalking attitude. It is pave-set with circular-cut diamonds and calibre-cut-onyx, and the eyes are set with marquise-shaped emeralds.

© Marilyn Braun 2010

Thank you for enjoying this article. If you use the information for research purposes, a link to credit the work I've put into writing it would be appreciated.

The Royal Report for Sunday February 21, 2010 - Royal Love Stories: Edward and Wallis

Argubly the most tragic and romantic of royal love stories. He was the most dashing public figure of his day. She was a twice married American born out of wedlock. He gave up his throne for her and changed the course of royal history.

Listen to their story here.

Publications mentioned

Hello! Canada Weekly No 162 22 February 2010

Film mentioned

The Duchess

From my royal collection

Rock and Royalty by Gianni Versace

Resources used to research this episode

King Edward VIII by Philip Ziegler

The Windsor Years  by Lord Kinross

Edward VIII The Road to Abdication by Frances Donaldson

The Heart has its reasons by The Duchess of Windsor

A King's Story The Memoirs of H.R.H. The Duke of Windsor

The Secret Life of The Duchess of Windsor by Charles  Higham

Wallis & Edward Letters 1931-1937 - The intimate correspondence of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor by Michael Bloch

Tune in to the next episode of The Royal Report on Sunday February 28, 2010 at 9:00PM EST (North America).

The topic will be: She was the Princess Diana of her day, he was a dashing divorced war veteran. When they fell in love, Princess Margaret would be made to choose between her royal title and lifestyle and the man she loved - Peter Townsend. This is their story.

© Marilyn Braun 2010

Question: How can Charles be king?

How can Charles become king? You say his marital status does not matter, nor whom he marries (unless she is a Roman Catholic). But then, why did Edward have to abdicate when he wed Wallis Simpson?

Yes it does seem rather unfair that Charles was allowed to marry Camilla and Edward had to abdicate to marry Wallis Simpson. But putting aside all of the legal, moral and religious issues, the one main reason is that times are different. It would be interesting to see how Edward and Wallis' relationship would be handled nowadays. There seems to be one common denominator between the two couples: Divorce. Unlike now, it wasn't as common back in 1936 and there was a stigma attached to it. Along with being divorced Wallis also had several strikes against her: She was married at the time, she was an American, she had a reputation, and she was a commoner. Her nationality and social standing would not be an issue now, but in 1936 they were considered strikes against her.

In fact, legally Edward could have married Wallis Simpson but this would have caused a constitutional crisis. Unlike Charles, the King faced formidable opposition, not just from his government but from the Dominions; all of whom felt that Wallis was not consort material. There was also the Church of England which did not recognize divorce nor remarriage of a person whose previous spouse was still alive. The Church also did not recognize her first divorce. Marrying her would have been in conflict with Edward's role as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. A morganatic marriage was proposed (a marriage is one in which the wife of the Sovereign and any children who may be born of the marriage, are denied any claim upon the Sovereign's status, rights or privileges. This would have required special legislation, which the government was not prepared to do. The King then had three options - reject the advice of his ministers (a course which he never contemplated), renounce Wallis (which he refused to do) or abdicate. Edward felt that he could not continue in his role as King without Wallis, so he chose to abdicate.

Like Edward, Charles viewed his relationship as non-negotiable. However, as mentioned, times had changed. Prince Charles’ previous wife had died so there was no bar to his marrying again. The Church recognized Camilla’s divorce on the grounds of adultery. The Church had also changed its position on divorce. Allowing for couples to be remarried in a civil ceremony. The couple also had the support of the royal family, the government, the Church of England. The Commonwealth realms did not pose any opposition to the union. There was also the factor that the couple obviously would not produce any children. It would have been interesting to see what the reaction would have been had there been no legitimate heir (Prince William). Despite times having changed, the attitude could have been different with the succession at stake.

© Marilyn Braun 2009

Question: The Duchess of Windsor's Engagement Ring

Hello, do you know anything about the engagement ring given to Wallis Simpson from Edward? I think is was an emerald but have never found a photograph of it.




Yes, it was an emerald ring. The ring itself is a rectangular step-cut emerald with cut-corners weighing 19.77 carats within a stylized leaf border set with brilliant-cut diamonds. It was purchased in 1936 from Cartier and originally had a platinum mount, inscribed: We are ours now 27 x 36. It was remounted in a gold setting by Cartier in 1958.


This is one image listed in the public domain. There are better photographs of the ring in various books, including: The Sotheby's auction catalogue: The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor sold for the benefit of The Pasteur Institute. There is another book, with a similar title called The Jewels of The Duchess of Windsor by John Culme and Nicholas Rayner. Note that if you want to buy the auction catalogue it needs to have 'sold for the benefit of the Pasteur Institute' in the title. The book by Culme and Rayner is not the catalogue. Both books are well worth the price if you are interested in royal jewels.

Strand books in New York City sometimes has copies of these books, at affordable prices and shipping. I wouldn't go through Amazon or Alibris as they charge exorbitant prices for their rare books.

Also, if you're interested in all things relating to the Duke and Duchess you might want to check out the following website: The Duke and Duchess of Windsor Society.

I hope this has answered your question.

© Marilyn Braun 2009


Thank you for enjoying this article. If you use the information for research purposes, a link to credit the work I've put into writing it would be appreciated.

Related articles:

Question: The Duke and Duchess of Windsor's wedding rings

Royal Engagement Rings

Question: The Duke and Duchess of Windsor's wedding rings

....I have not found, anywhere, any information on the wedding rings of the Duke and Duchess, and this is my query: Is there a photograph, or description of the rings – somewhere? Were the Duke and Duchess buried wearing the rings, or, were the rings auctioned at Sotheby’s with the Duchess’ jewelry (after her death)?

Thank you for your questions!

You're right, there doesn't seem to be a lot of photos of the wedding rings out there. But given the fabulous collection of jewels that the Duchess owned, this is not surprising. While there are some photos of her with a plain ring on her wedding finger, they're not close up. For the most part she seems to have been photographed with her engagement ring; a large flawless emerald cut from the size of a bird's egg that belonged to a Mogul Emperor. So while she might have worn her wedding ring everyday, the size of her engagement ring would have dwarfed it. Looking at wedding photos some of them show her wearing just the wedding ring. Incidentally, the gloves she wore for her wedding were designed to open on the ring finger of the left hand. In some photos during the Second World War, where she is contributing to the war effort, you can see her wearing just the wedding ring. Anything larger would have been inappropriate. Many photos show her wearing gloves so the rings would not be seen. She was said to be rather meticulous about her grooming and she had manicures everyday, but her hairdresser recalled: She hated her hands. She always sat with her hands between her knees trying to hide them. Interesting then that she wore such extravagantly large rings that drew attention to them.

In most books about her there is very little reference to the wedding rings. Considering the circumstances, that would have been a minor detail. One book refers to it as being made from gold mined from the Welsh hills with a platinum copy auctioned in 1987 at Sotheby's. There are several wedding rings listed in the Sotheby's sale: lot #142 lists a 'platinum wedding ring, English, 1937, inscribed 'Wallis 18-10-35 Your David 3-VI-37' the two dates commemorate when the Prince proposed and the date of their marriage. In lot #177 there are 'Four wedding rings, all inscribed'. In photos the Duke of Windsor wears two rings on the fifth finger of his left hand, which seems to be the place royal men wear their wedding rings. Why there are five wedding rings in the auction, and whether one of them would have belonged to the Duke of Windsor is anybody's guess. Maybe he was buried with his but I highly doubt it.

Unfortunately I cannot locate photos specifically of these rings. Your best bet would be to see if you can purchase the auction catalogue which is rare and depending on where you look, very expensive, Sotheby's The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor sold for the benefit of the Pasteur Institute. Or The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor, by John Culme and Nicholas Rayner, written after the auction and a more affordable option. You might find photographs there.

Update: Although it's an interesting book, The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor by John Culme and Nicholas Rayner (written after the auction) does not have a photo of the wedding rings. Nor does the official auction catalogue.

Sources:

The Windsor Style by Suzy Menkes

The Royal Jewels by Suzy Menkes

Famous Jewelry Collectors by Stefano Papi & Alexandra Rhodes

The Windsor Years by Lord Kinross

Edward VIII - The Road to Abdication - by Frances Donaldson

The Secret Life of The Duchess of Windsor by Charles Higham

The Windsor Story by J. Bryan III and Charles J.V. Murphy

Related Articles:

Royal Engagement Rings

Jewels fit for a Queen

© Marilyn Braun 2008