A self-deprecating remark made by King Charles regarding his Christmas portraits to photographer Alan Maxwell has been unearthed.
Written when he was the Prince of Wales in 1993, the note revealed how he felt about the ‘unpromising material’ for that year’s cards.
One of the sets featured him posing in a kilt next to Prince William and Harry, while the others showed Diana posing with her sons.
The memo was written to the late Alan Maxwell, the royals’ official photography expert who would develop their camera films and offer his advice.
The handwritten note is among a treasure trove of photographs, letters, and thank you notes the royals wrote to Mr Maxwell over his years of service.
In the Charles’s 1993 message, he wrote: ‘Dear Mr Maxwell, I just wanted to thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into producing possible Christmas cards for me this year.
‘I couldn’t be more pleased with what you have achieved from some pretty unpromising material!
‘I thought you did wonders in interpreting my ideas of having a card made up of three small pictures, and only narrowly preferred the group version in the end. I only hope it is appreciated by several thousand recipients.
Writing to photography expert Alan Maxwell in 1993, Charles, who was then the Prince of Wales, explained how he felt about the ‘unpromising material’ for that year’s Christmas cards (pictured)
The 1993 Christmas card included a photograph of Charles with Prince William and Prince Harry
The 1993 Christmas card images also included one of the late Princess Diana with William and Harry
‘I am sorry that my ridiculously congested programme meant that you had a fruitless journey to London, and that I did not have an opportunity to congratulate you in person, but did want you to know how grateful I am for all you have done on this and other projects.
‘What on Earth would I do without you?! Yours sincerely, Charles.’
The royal collection was discovered in a cardboard box 15 years after Mr Maxwell’s death and is now going under the hammer.
The remarkable collection is set to sell for £8,000 at Hansons Auctioneers on Thursday, but it could fetch far more.
The haul includes more than 60 Christmas cards and New Year cards sent out by the royals between the 1970s and 1990s.
Mr Maxwell was a photographic and camera specialist at London‘s Wallace H Eaton Ltd, official suppliers to the royal family.
The Royal Family relied on Mr Maxwell for all their photography needs, including helping them chose the annual royal Christmas cards.
Elsewhere, a hilarious note written by the late Queen explaining to a picture framer that her corgi puppies ate a royal photograph has been unearthed.
A previously unseen photograph (pictured right) of Diana was also unearthed in Maxwell’s belongings
A collection of coloured prints of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, will go up for auction at Hansons
Pictured: Charles III, then HRH Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, signed 1984 Christmas card
A signed notecard from Diana to Alan Maxwell is expected to fetch between £250-£350 at the auction
Diana apologised to the photographer for the ‘trouble we must have caused’ in a handwritten note
Photos, a letter and photo instructions relating to Queen Elizabeth II are expected to fetch between £500-£700 at the auction
Writing a memorundum note to Mr Maxwell before one Christmas, the late Queen Elizabeth told him: ‘Please check the print with the negatives to find out which is missing – eaten by the puppies – ER.’
Another letter being sold is one written by the Diana in 1992 in which she thanked Mr Maxwell for ‘coming to our rescue’.
She wrote: ‘Dear Mr Maxwell, A very special thank you for coming to our rescue at such short notice!
‘I did appreciate enormously the speed in which the photographs arrived here & am only sorry for the trouble we must have caused! Yours most sincerely, Diana.’
Other Diana memorabilia includes multiple professional images of her taken in the 1980s and 90s including her 21st birthday portrait by Snowden.
Another picture in the auction is a 1984 Christmas card, inscribed ‘Mr Maxwell, from, Diana and Charles’, which features a photo of the couple with a small Prince William and baby Prince Harry.
A touching 1988 Christmas card, sent by Queen Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh, includes a photo of Elizabeth holding an infant Princess Beatrice of York on her lap with The Queen Mother standing by her side.
The most valuable lot, which is expected to fetch between £500 and £700, is a typed and signed letter from the Queen Elizabeth to Mr Maxwell.
Maxwell received a thank you note from the late Queen Elizabeth after he sent ‘good wishes’ on her Golden Wedding anniversary
Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, signed 1995 Christmas Card. The card is expected to fetch between £50- £80
One of the images up for auction shows Queen Elizabeth holding Princess Beatrice of York on her lap alongside the Queen Mother
Pictured: The late Queen Elizabeth II sent Alan Maxwell a handwritten note on 28 July 1992
An invite for the late Queen Elizabeth’s birthday party on Saturday 14 June, 1986, was found in the belongings
The collection includes photo memos and orders, loose images and thank you notes from Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales
Written on Buckingham Palace paper, the note thanks him for his good wishes on the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh’s golden wedding anniversary plus 13 photo memorandums to Mr Maxwell signed with the initials ‘ER’.
The note says: ‘Many thanks for getting a repeat for the picture of Harold Wilson and me – he’s had them in his wallet for years! Practically rubbed it away.
‘I am giving you a large and difficult order for copies of pictures I took of my Jersey cows that won prizes recently; with the help of a New Zealand farmer and his wife, and they want the photos for souvenirs!
‘There is no immediate hurry as they’ve gone back to NZ. ER.’
Mr Maxwell died in 2009 and now his collection is being sold, with many of the notes and letters seen for the first time.
Auctioneer Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: ‘Members of the royal family always called him Mr Maxwell, not Alan.
‘He was a man of absolute discretion, hence earning their respect. He printed Christmas cards and trimmed and framed them. He was an absolute a perfectionist.
‘Mr Maxwell, a Yorkshireman, passed away 15 years ago and now his collection has finally come to light.
Diana selected a monochrome photograph of herself, Prince William, and Prince Harry for her 1995 Christmas card
The collection includes over 60 Christmas and New Year cards of royals, including from the late Diana (pictured)
Pictured: Photos, letters, and photo instructions relating to Queen Elizabeth II. Expected to fetch £500-£700
In an entertaining note to Maxwell, the late Queen Elizabeth revealed that her corgi puppies ate a negative
‘It’s important in terms of royal history but also allows us to pay tribute to a man held in high esteem by royalty.
‘In the digital age it’s easy to forget that all photos used to be sent off to be developed and printed.
‘The royal family, among the most photographed people in the world, came to rely on Mr Maxwell for their photographic needs and he was proud to serve them.’
It comes after Buckingham Palace has released King Charles’ third Christmas card as monarch, featuring a sweet photograph of the royal with his wife Queen Camilla.
The image was taken by Millie Pilkington in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, captured in April when the foliage behind the royal couple was blooming with pink and purple flowers.
In the photograph, Camilla, 77, is seen wearing a blue wool crepe dress by Fiona Clare, with her arm around her husband.
Charles, 76, is in a light grey suit and patterned blue tie, smiling with his hand in his pocket.
The card is a stark departure from the formal image their Majesties chose last year – an official Coronation photo taken by Hugo Burnand in the Throne Room of Buckingham Palace.
That year, the photo showed the King wearing the Imperial State while Camilla wore Queen Mary’s Crown. Both were dressed in the Robes of Estate.
An inscription inside last year’s missive read: ‘Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year.’
Speaking about his experience as the coronation photographer, Hugo Burnand – who also snapped Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding – described the atmosphere in the throne room as ‘cosy’ during the photoshoot.
He added that there was a ‘lovely buzz’ while he set up and took the coronation images.