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1 year ago
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A remarkable collection of Royal Christmas cards covering almost every year between 1953 to 1989 have emerged for sale.
The cards were kept by Commander Sir Philip John Row, who was Deputy Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth II between 1958 and 1968 and then appointed Extra Equerry to the Queen Mother in 1969.
They are now being sold on 28 November, alongside his impressive group of medals, coins and ephemera for an estimated £15,000 at auctioneers Woolley & Wallis, of Salisbury, Wiltshire.
The charming array of festive greetings show the changing face of three generations of the Royals Family over four decades.
King Charles was five-years-old in the earliest card and father to Princes William and Harry in a later one.
A remarkable collection of Royal Christmas cards covering almost every year between 1953 to 1989 have emerged for sale (Pictured: The Queen and Philip with a young Anne, Charles and Corgis in the 1957)
There are sweet images of Charles with Princess Anne as children in the 1950s and Princes Andrew and Edward in the 1960s and early '70s.
The 1960 Christmas card shows the family on the front lawn at Balmoral with baby Andrew, while baby Edward appears in a pram in 1964 with the family huddled around it.
The 1978 card features Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip by a fireplace, with the 1981 card showing the newlyweds Charles and Princess Diana.
Sir Philip John Row joined the Royal Navy in 1922 and in the Second World War he served on HMS Kent on the Arctic Convoys.
He was also on board Kent for Operation Mascot - one of the many attempts to destroy the German battleship Tirpitz.
His 20 medals include the Royal Victoria Order, Knight Commander's Neck Badge and Star, the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and France's Legion d'Honneur.
Ned Cowell, militaria specialist at Woolley & Wallis, said: 'His collection of Royal Christmas cards from 1953 to 1989 provide a fascinating record of the first half of Queen Elizabeth's long reign.
'It is interesting to look at the cards and see how the photos chosen evolve over the near 40 year period.
Pictured: The Royal family together, (From left) Princess Anne, Prince Edward, The Queen, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Prince Philip
One card featured Edward, The Queen, Philip, Anne and a bearded Prince Andrew. It also features a young Peter Phillips and his sister Zara. The 1983 Christmas card picture was taken on board the Royal Yacht 'Britannia'
The cards were kept by Commander Sir Philip John Row, who was Deputy Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth II between 1958 and 1968 and then appointed Extra Equerry to the Queen Mother in 1969
The Queen and Philip with a young Anne and Charles on the Buckingham Palace balcony in the 1954 Christmas card
This card from 1981 features the Charles and Diana on their Wedding day in 1981 The Queen and Prince Philip pictured either side of the happy couple
The Queen and Prince Philip with a young Anne and Charles in the 1956 Christmas card
Prince Charles was missing from the colourful 1973 Christmas Card. He was 24-years-old and serving in the Royal Navy at the time
The Queen, who donned a bright yellow dress, put Edward in shorts for the 1971 card
The Queen was pictured alongside the Queen mother holding Princess Beatrice, who is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, in the 1988 Christmas card
The colourful 1972 card has a 70's feel to it and Prince Andrew has his eyes closed
The 1982 card, the year the Falklands war ended, featured Prince Andrew who famously served during the war
The charming array of festive greetings show the changing face of three generations of the Royals over four decades
They are now being sold on 28 November, alongside his impressive group of medals, coins and ephemera for an estimated £15,000 at auctioneers Woolley & Wallis, of Salisbury, Wiltshire
'The early photos exemplify the Queen's focus on her young family and it is fascinating to watch them grow up and become the characters we ourselves grew up with.
'The style also changes from the more formal, posed photographs of the 1950s to the relaxed manner adopted during the 1980s.
'What is special about this collection is that it comes from someone who was senior in the Royal Household early on during the Queen's reign so it starts from her first year on the throne.'
Row worked on the Royal Yacht and rose to Paymaster Commander.
He followed in his father's footsteps, who was Paymaster Rear Admiral and Secretary of the King's Privy Purse.
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