AS FAMILY HEIRLOOMS GO UP FOR SALE
PRIZED RIDING BOOTS AMONG TREASURES OFFERING A TASTE OF ROYAL LIFE
Like her sister Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret was a keen and accomplished rider – and now royal fans have a chance to buy a piece of history as her treasured riding boots go up for auction.
The brown leather boots, made by royal equestrian bootmaker Maxwell of London, are among several of the late Princess’s belongings that will go under the hammer next week when her daughter-in-law Serena, Countess of Snowdon sells some family heirlooms.
Serena, the former wife of Margaret’s son David, the 2nd Earl of Snowdon, is auctioning her collection of 174 items, including works of art and antique furniture.
The boots, which are accompanied by wooden blocks stamped “HRH Princess Margaret”, as well as pigskin cases containing accessories and a collection of riding crops, are expected to fetch between £300 and £500.
Also up for sale are three bottles of 1976 riesling white wine, bearing a label that reads: “Kensington Palace… bottled in Jubilee Year.”
The Princess lived in an apartment at the palace, so it is thought that the wine, valued at £30 to £60, may have been bottled for her.
SPECIAL GIFTS
Among the highlights of the sale, which is being conducted by auction house Dreweatts, is Rue d’Amsterdam, a charcoal street scene by Belgian artist Rik Wouters, which was a gift to Margaret from the King and Queen of Belgium when they visited London in May 1963. The work is estimated at £4,000 to £6,000.
A decorative curtain, made for the Princess in 1975 by the Embroiderers’ Guild of New South Wales and co
