World War II-dated ALS signed “Lilibet,” one page both sides, 5 x 8, Buckingham Palace letterhead, April 24, 1945. Remarkable early letter to "Mary," written days after her 19th birthday. In part: "I was so delighted to receive your letter of good wishes for my birthday. Thank you so much for thinking of me. I'm sorry to hear that you are on sick leave, but I do hope you are feeling better now. This is rather a good time of year to get leave really and now that we have got some good weather, one might as well make use of it. I've just finished a mechanics course in the A.T.S. which I found most interesting. I've never worked so hard in my life before, as everything I learnt was brand new to me—all the oddities of the inside of a car, and all the intricacies of map reading and so forth. But I enjoyed it all very much and found it a great experience." In fine condition, with two small light stains.
In February 1945, the 18-year-old Elizabeth was appointed as an honorary second subaltern in the Auxiliary Territorial Service ("A.T.S."), the women's branch of the British Army. She trained as a driver and mechanic and was awarded the rank of honorary junior commander five months later. A fantastic, early letter from the future queen, who typically reserved her informal signature, "Lilibet," for her closest friends and family.
This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for
$100.00
*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.
