The notes were written over 25 years to milliner Philip
Somerville
Mr Somerville died last year aged 84 and four notes will now
be sold
They reveal details of the Queen's love of hats - and her
corgis
The Queen is famous for her hats, which are the subject of
bets in the UK
Most focus on her choice of colour during Royal Ascot week
in June
The letters, written to long-serving hat-maker Philip
Somerville over 25 years, the missives also touch on Her Majesty's passion for
corgis and her knowledge of running a business.
Others contain thanks for hats made by Mr Somerville and a
touching sentence in which the Queen describes herself as 'almost the only
person' who wears hats all the time.
Four of the epistles are now set to go under the hammer
alongside a set of invitations and signed cards sent to Mr Somerville, who died
last year aged 84.
But it is the letters that are likely to attract the most
interest, with auctioneers saying they could fetch as much as £2,000 when they
are sold later this month.
In one of the notes, which was written to Mr Somerville and
dated January 5, 2009, the Queen thanks him for a Christmas present of a china
corgi.
'Thank you so much for the charming china Corgi you gave me
for Christmas,' she wrote. 'I am so pleased to have it and it is a good
portrayal of the breed. It will join my assorted collection of them!'
She added: 'Can I once more express my great gratitude for
all the help and the fine hats I have had over the years from you.
In another from February 25, 2007, she writes: 'Thank you
for your letter telling me of the outcome of your business.
'I am very glad to hear that you will still be able to work
for me... I know how difficult business can be nowadays - specially with
matching fabrics for someone like me who must be almost the only person who
wears hats constantly!
Another thank you note written on January 19, 2008, reads:
'Thank you so much for my Christmas present. It is sitting here on my desk and
is very enjoyable.
I fear this is very late - I seem to have been so busy even
in the holidays. I am glad to hear your pacemaker is working well for you, it
must be a great relief.
I expect there will be a need for a few hats in the coming
months!'
Philip Somerville began making hats for the Queen in the
early 1980s, a role he held right through to his retirement in 2008.
Other clients included well-known figures such as Dame Kiri
Te Kanawa, Joan Collins and Lady Thatcher.
His hats were also worn by a string of Bond girls including
Famke Janssen in 1995 film Goldeneye, and Sophie Marceau in The World Is Not
Enough from 1999.
'The letters are fascinating because they give a very rare
glimpse of the Queen’s personal side, revealing her to be very sweet, humble
and funny,' says Lydia Wilkinson, co-ordinator of the auction, which takes
place at Fraser's Autographs in London on 20th March.
'The majority of people only ever see the Queen in her
official role where she is required to be formal and quite serious, but these
letters show a completely different side to her.
'The Queen is a big fan of hats and it’s quite clear from
the correspondence that she and Mr Somerville, as her milliner, were very
close.
'The market for Royal memorabilia is always strong so we are
expecting a large amount of interest in these letters, not just from the UK but
from the US as well where the Royal family are much loved.'
The Queen is pretty in a cornflower blue
number with President Higgins of Ireland last year
The Queen is elegant in white for a welcome by Mozambican
dancers in Mapute in 1999
South Sea Islands in 1982
The Queen is cheerful in coral for tea with Mrs Susan
McCarron in Glasgow in 1999
The Queen is radiant in a straw hat, left, and a floral number, right, while in Malta in 1967
A pretty printed turban was worn to meet King Taufa'ahau
Tupu IV of Tonga during a visit in 1970
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