Queen Elizabeth's Childhood Letter Shows Off Special Talent

Queen Elizabeth as a child in 1936, sitting on a bench with a dog — (Image credit: Getty Images)

This year's Lunar New Year celebration is marking the year of the horse, but for Queen Elizabeth, it was always equestrian season. Although her passion for horses (and corgis) is well known, a sentimental letter she wrote as a 10-year-old child shows off a talent that members of today's Royal Family have inherited.

The late Queen was a lifelong horse girl, and now a letter she wrote displaying special sketches of horses and dogs is up for auction. It was penned in 1936 by the then-Princess Elizabeth and sent to Beatrice Stillman, the head housemaid at Royal Lodge—where the princess and her family lived at the time.

Princess Elizabeth was on vacation in Cornwall, England at the time she sent the letter, which reads: "Dear Beatrice, I am sending you some primroses we picked, wild. There are some pale pink ones as well as the yellow. It is very lovely here. We can go down on to the beach from the garden."

A letter with drawings of kids, dogs and horses written by Queen Elizabeth when she was a child — Princess Elizabeth penned this letter in 1936.

Princess Elizabeth at age 10 with her pony — Princess Elizabeth, age 10, is pictured with her pony in 1936.

The letter is peppered with sketches of dogs, horses and children, including a boy jumping a fence on a horse and another of people playing polo.

"I hope the birds are well, and the gold-fish haven't died. Will you please give Cootie (Miss Coote I mean) and Mrs Wade some of the primroses to share," the note continues. "Jock is very well and happy here. Nanny and Joanna send their love to you."

She signed the letter, "Love from Elizabeth."

A sketch of a child jumping a fence on a horse that says Love From Elizabeth — Princess Elizabeth drew a number of sketches of horses on the letter. “From these few lines we understand everything we later know about the late Queen. She is seen to be observant, kind and concerned with others’ wellbeing, just as she was in later years,

The late Queen's talent for sketching was inherited by King Charles, who has been a lifelong art enthusiast. The King specializes in watercolors and has drawn a number of royal residences and scenes from his travels around the world. Meanwhile, Princess Kate is also a keen artist, and Prince George takes in all of their footsteps, with his proud parents displaying his artwork on Instagram.

Queen Elizabeth's rare piece of royal memorabilia will be auctioned off by Kent, England-based Hansons Auctioneers on February 27 and is estimated to sell for between £2,000 to £4,000.

"When I first saw the letter, it gave me goosebumps," said Justin Matthews of Hansons Auctioneers. "Queen Elizabeth II, as we remember her with her love of dogs and horses—is astoundingly evident in this letter penned by her younger self."

In a press release, he added, "From these few lines we understand everything we later know about the late Queen. She is seen to be observant, kind and concerned with others’ wellbeing, just as she was in later years."

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.