Bidspirit auction | CHARLES III (1948- )

CHARLES III (1948- ) - CHARLES III (1948- ) King of the United Kingdom since 2022. An extraordinary and exceptionally early A.L.S., Charles , as Duke of Cornwall, two pages, 4to, n.p. (London), 25th March 1954, to his father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh ( ´Dear Papa´ ), on the printed stationery of Buckingham Palace. The five-year-old future King writes in bold pencil in block letters between light pencil guidelines (the latter possibly prepared by his nanny, Mabel Anderson) and states, in full, ´Dear Papa, I am longing to see you in the ship. Love from Charles´ . To the lower half of the second page appear a series of circles and crosses drawn by the Prince, representing affectionate hugs and kisses. Autograph letters signed by King Charles III at such an early age are of the utmost rarity. Some very light, extremely minimal age wear, VG At the time of the present letter Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was accompanying Queen Elizabeth II on the Royal Tour of 1954 which marked the first time a reigning monarch had visited Australia. The royal couple arrived in Sydney Harbour on board the SS Gothic on 3rd February 1954 and spent the next fifty-eight days travelling around Australia by train, ship, car and plane. Their children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, did not accompany them on the exhausting trip and the present letter demonstrates how much the young Prince was missing his father.