A German auction house is selling art, furniture and other objects that belonged to Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September at the age of 96.
The Eppi auction house, based in Stuttgart, is on Saturday also offering a personal letter written by the queen, dated 1966. The two-page letter is addressed to the German equestrian Etti Plesch, née Maria Gräfin von Wurmbrand-Stuppach, whose horses won the prestigious Epsom Derby race in England two times.
The queen wrote to "dear Mrs Plesch" that she was "so delighted with the lovely picture" of horses in her country retreat of Sandringham "which I received from you and Mr. Plesch for Christmas."
The then 40-year-old concludes her thank-you letter with the insight that patience is perhaps the most important virtue in horse breeding, as well as a bit of luck.
Ferdinand Benedikt Eppli of the auction house of the same name says he expects two groups of people to be interested in the letter, which has a starting price of €2,600 ($2,703).
"There are the enthusiasts who are after postal items with an interesting history or from prominent senders," he told dpa ahead of the auction. "And there are the fans of the British royal family."
Besides the queen's letter, a Buckingham Palace letter from Lady Diana's office is also on offer during the auction on Saturday.
