Capital Letters. Godfrey Barker Pomp magazine. A World of British Luxury.

Revolution? What revolution? As Queen Elizabeth enjoys her Diamond Jubilee this year, royal correspondence, among other memorabilia, has never been more sought after

In Geneva, just before Christmas, a letter from the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, appeared at auction. ‘Dear M. Thormeyer,’ he wrote to his childhood tutor, ‘I wish you a happy New Year. From the person whom you once referred to as an “ass” – Nicholas.’ The value of this charming but trivial missive was estimated at £130-£200. It sold, with buyer’s premium, for £64,464, nearly 500 times its low estimate.

Among photographs of Russia’s doomed royal family – destined to be dropped down a mine at Ekaterinburg in 1918 by enraged Bolsheviks – an image of Grand Duke Michael taken by the tutor Thormeyer in 1902 was estimated to fetch £270. Michael was the brother to whom Nicholas II passed the Russian throne in the first month of the Revolution, March 1917, but who never constitutionally succeeded; he was not ratified by the Duma in St Petersburg. And even his cheerful face, seen in better times, earned a price of £30,747, over 100 times the estimate.

A dozen other photographs of the Russian imperial family, of Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II, their queens, their brothers, their sisters and their children sold for close to 100 times pre-sale expectation too. The entire set of 300 faded sepia photographs snapped by Ferdinand Thormeyer was expected to fetch a grand total of £17,250. When the exhausted auctioneer Bernard Piguet finally brought down his hammer, the outcome was 1.6 million Swiss francs, the equivalent of well over a million pounds. Royal memorabilia, it seems, has ascended the collectibles market throne.

Back in England, the Queen has never been more popular with her subjects. As her Diamond Jubilee approaches this summer, she is likely to become yet more so, perhaps riding 2011’s royal wedding lift to boot. Similarly, in 2010 an astonishing $44m was paid at auction for a pen-and-ink landscape by the short-lived Yuan dynasty Emperor Wenzong (1302-1335) and $11.7m for a watercolour of An Old Cypress dated 1750by the Qing dynasty Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799). Perhaps monarchs have never been more extravagantly adored.

London too has its own version of the hype over anything royal – notably for letters, photographs, Christmas cards, cufflinks, watercolours and other gifts handed out by the British and other royal families over the last 200 years. But it is not to be found at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonhams, which appear to have made a discreet pact with Buckingham Palace not to auction the Queen’s private correspondence – or that of Diana, Princess of Wales, who wrote important letters of high indiscretion to trusted friends. Instead a remarkably private business called Argyll Etkin Limited handles the market in Royal memorabilia. It is run from St James’s by Ian Shapiro and has been quietly handling personal material relating to the Queen, the Royal Family and historical figures of the 19th to the 21st centuries for over a decade.

Indeed, Shapiro just happens to have 20 personal letters by the Queen on offer at the moment, most of them effusive thanks to friends with whom she has lunched or stayed. They sell for sums of up to £5,000. He also has letters written by the Queen Mother, Prince Philip, American royalty – aka the Kennedys – and a hundred other historical figures.

Shapiro also holds an astonishing unpublished correspondence in English between two Russian grand duchesses at the start of the Revolution – Olga and Xenia were isolated in the Crimea, flitting between rented houses, terrified of the Soviet censors and of rumours that the Tsar and the imperial family have been put to death. The pages exude the fear that the same fate awaits the writers. ‘Oh Xenia dear. Do you think it is true that all the poor relations imprisoned in Petersburg have been shot?’ Shapiro quotes from one letter in Olga’s dense handwriting.

‘She refers,’ he explains, ‘to the arrest of four minor grand dukes and the arrival of the firing squad at the Fortress of St Peter and St Paul in the capital.’ He pauses. ‘Some of these pages are heart-rending. Those grand dukes were starved before they were shot. This is the very stuff of history. Of Russian imperial correspondence currently on the market, this has been the most important and sensational find in recent times.’

Royal letters, photographs and Christmas cards most often reach the market, Shapiro explains, when owners die. The letters lack the same meaning and sentiment for the children who inherit them; they are often tempted to seize high prices at sale. But who actually owns a letter under the law of the United Kingdom? ‘If the Queen writes you a letter,’ Shapiro explains, ‘it is yours, your physical property. But there is a copyright issue. You are not free to quote the letter in any public place in its entirety.’

With other royal families round the world, the law is similar. Sensitivity varies. Scandinavian monarchs, apparently, still resist publication of anything, even for the purposes of research by scholars. The House of Windsor, by contrast, is easygoing. This may be because the Queen and Prince Philip have shown themselves careful over 50 years not to pack their personal letters with opinions or revelations liable to cause future embarrassment, though the Prince has bordered on the indiscreet.

Diana definitely crossed the line, but those letters somehow stay away from sale; her market deals in signed photographs by Patrick Demarchelier and Mario Testino and in Diana’s signed school books and schoolgirl letters.

The Queen’s restraint even spreads to her Christmas cards, which ‘almost never’, Shapiro reports, carry any private statement beyond the occasional ‘with love, Lilibet’ (the name the Queen sometimes uses on cards which she signs in person and not by auto-pen). Though the Queen is capable of great personal warmth and generous thanks in letters to friends, she also avoids humour, no doubt because of familiar risks of being taken out of context.

The Queen Mother, however, leaves letters behind of immense fun and cheerfulness, most cheerful of all to her racing managers and her bookmakers. She was also capable of occasional vast indiscretions, as in one letter to her lady-in-waiting Lady Harlech (private collection) on their return in 1947 from a tour of South Africa to rainy, miserable Britain.

‘Dearest Minna,’ she writes from the Royal Lodge at Windsor on 17 May, ‘we came here for the weekend and found the silence almost more heavenly than one could bear – the only loud noise was made by a cuckoo – no grrra grrra of the train, no humming of the ventilation in the ship, no bugles, no banging or crunching or yelling…The surface of England is so truly peaceful and green and lovely. I am not so sure about the rest. Everyone seems restless and disgruntled, I suppose that the high hopes of a socialist heaven on earth are beginning to fade a little – Poor people, so many halfeducated and bemused. I do love them.’

In previous times, explains Shapiro, ladies in waiting would return letters from the monarch to the royal archive before death. In 2012 no-one can be sure where they will end up – or, in an age of industrial celebrity tittle-tattle, what they might contain. Even among signed royal photographs, insight sells – it is what is private and unpublished that is worth most.

Those who buy are not, for the most part, casual about it. ‘There are committed collectors out there with their own favourites,’ says Shapiro. The market changes with fashion. A decade ago the letters of the Queen Mother cost most; now her values lag well behind the Queen’s.

Edward VIII and Mrs Simpson remain popular, while Colin Firth’s Oscar for The King’s Speech has helped the price of George VI. Yet the value of his father, George V – whose favourite subjects were the less gripping ones of hunting, shooting and the weather – has slipped.

What is wanted most in reference to Elizabeth II is material from the Coronation and the 1950s – the new Elizabethan Age. Signed photographs by Marcus Adams and Cecil Beaton are at a premium; Beaton is the subject of a Victoria and Albert Museum exhibition this year, while the National Portrait Gallery will host The Queen: Art and Image from May. Wartime Christmas cards of the two princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret, are also highly sought, as are signed studio wedding portraits from 1947.

‘I sense our monarch is entering on that great popularity Queen Victoria enjoyed after her Golden Jubilee in 1887, lasting to the end of her reign,’ predicts Shapiro, picking up, perhaps, on republicanism’s wane in recent years. ‘It matches, as it did for Queen Victoria, the popularity of her youth. It seems harder to find the same support between youth and age.’

Equally so, indeed, to find history in the Queen’s correspondence, unfailingly polite, highly personal but perhaps a little anodyne. ‘I do want to write to say to you how very much I enjoyed the lovely dinner party last night,’ she writes in one letter. ‘The guests were so charming, the dinner so excellent, the house so perfect and my hosts so dear and welcoming that I felt it was a long time since I had passed such an agreeable evening. Thank you both so much for inviting me.’ One wonders whether the professional courtesy of a royal thank-you note hides a more gripping dinner-table story.

04/23/2012

China Tang

Conceived by Sir David Tang, the founder of China Clubs in Hong Kong, Peking and Singapore, as well as the life-style brand, "Shanghai Tang", China Tang offers some of the best and most authentic Cantonese food outside China. Menus do not compromise on classical recipes and all dishes, including its signature Peking Duck are prepared with the freshest ingredients and traditional spices and flavouring (no MSG). | more

The Ledbury

Brett Graham began his cooking career in Newcastle, Australia, aged 15, working in a simple fish restaurant. He then moved to Sydney where, during a 3 year stint under Liam Tomlin at the highly acclaimed Banc restaurant, he won the Josephine Pignolet Award. This granted him a trip to the UK where he secured a job at The Square, working for chef Philip Howard. Further awards followed, including the “Young Chef of the Year” in 2002. | more

Lanima

L’Anima offers the finest of contemporary Italian cuisine in surroundings nothing short of sheer elegance Italian cuisine in surroundings nothing short of sheer elegance. | more

The Arts Club

The Arts Club was founded in 1863 by men of vision in order to provide a haven for those people who had professional or amateur relationships with the Arts, Literature or Sciences. During 2011 the Club underwent a complete renovation, it has been completely transformed into a truly world class establishment. | more

The Playboy Club and Casino

Playboy Club London and the legendary bunnies are back. Located in exclusive Mayfair, the club offers world-class gaming, dining and entertainment. A selection of top bars and restaurants sit within the contemporary and stylish setting, not least Salvatore Calabrese's eponymous bar and The Dining Room, where Judy Woo serves up delicious Pan-Am dishes. | more

Mortons Club

Morton's Club is the most exclusive, yet relaxed private members' club in Mayfair. Morton's has been at the centre of Mayfair's social life for the past 35 years and overlooks the length of Berkeley Square. | more

Baglioni Hotel Spa by SPC

Welcome to the Baglioni Spa by SPC, situated at the impressive 5-star Baglioni Hotel in London, opposite Hyde Park with an enchanting view of Kensington Gardens and Palace. | more

One Aldwych Health Club

Take control of your personal health and fitness in the luxurious and contemporary environment of The Health Club at One Aldwych. We deliver unparalleled personal attention to every member and guest with a founding philosophy of wellness which integrates personal training, spa treatments and nutritional advice for real results. | more

The Spa at Mandarin Oriental

Our full and half day Spa Programmes are long, luxurious and highly indulgent. You will leave our spa with the deepest sense of harmony in your body, mind and spirit. A range of wellness services from personal training to nutritional advice can be added to these programmes to create a tailor-made experience. | more

Coworth Park

The Georgian charm of the original Coworth Park’s manor house estate has been enhanced with an eccentric decorative flair that is altogether contemporary. Details such as English smoked oak flooring blend seamlessly with an understated design palette full of subtle yet playful creative accents. | more

St. Pancras Renaissance

The St Pancras Renaissance is a London icon & a model of modern hospitality. Behind the fairytale façade that Sir George Gilbert Scott fashioned for the Midland Grand is a 5-star London hotel like no other – one that mingles Victorian splendour with contemporary style and service. Step inside the spectacular glazed entrance hall where Victorian high society once alighted from horse-drawn cabs, and later, glide down the famous grand staircase to dinner in the Gilbert Scott Restaurant, the brilliant, fresh brasserie cuisine of Marcus Wareing awaits. | more

The Ritz

The world's greatest hotel, as conceived by the world's greatest hotelier. For over a century The Ritz has been the benchmark by which other hotels are measured. A London landmark at 150 Piccadilly, The Ritz has been home to the great and the good, the intelligentsia, the glitterati and thousands of discerning guests since 1906. | more

The London Relocation Agency

Internationally recognised London Relocation Consultancy is a Leading London Relocation Agency with qualified specialists providing bespoke property searches for private clients and full relocation services for corporate clients. It has access to the very best London properties including inaccessible off-market residential and commercial properties in Central London. The company helps find family homes and investments by researching and sourcing properties that suites your criteria and budget.

It acts exclusively for clients looking for properties in London by offering help, advice and benefit of knowledge in the property market. London Relocation Consultancy provides tailor made services including acting as concierge. It believes that a high-level of personal attention creates the most successful relocation.

Whether you are looking for a new home or an investment its commitment is to find that perfect property at the right price to save your time and money and help the property search and move to be stress free.

You can contact the London Relocation Consultancy directly on +44 755 767 8655 | more

Cartier

Cartier S.A., commonly known as Cartier, is a French jeweler and watch manufacturer. The corporation carries the name of the Cartier family of jewellers whose control ended in 1964 and who were known for numerous products including the "Bestiary" (best illustrated by the Panthère brooch of the 1940s created for Wallis Simpson), the diamond necklace created for Bhupinder Singh the Maharaja of Patiala and in 1904 the first practical wristwatch, the "Santos." | more

Burberry

Burberry Group is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing, fragrance, and fashion accessories. Its distinctive tartan pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. Burberry is most famous for its iconic trench coat, which was invented by founder Thomas Burberry. The company has branded stores and franchises around the world, and also sells through concessions in third-party stores. HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH The Prince of Wales have granted the company Royal Warrants. The Chief Creative Officer is Christopher Bailey.

The story of the brand started in 1856 when Thomas Burberry opened his first clothing store in Basingstoke (England). Burberrys invention of 'gabardine', a fabric that was waterproofed before it was weaved made the store very popular. Burberry started to equip the royal family as well as the British military with its outerwear. Another famous fan was Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who chose Burberry clothing for his expedition to the South Pole. By 1900 the store had become so popular that Burberry decided to expand to London. In 1955 Burberry was acquired by Great Universal Stores (GUS). GUS continually updated Burberry's image and pushed international expansion. In 1997 GUS was advised to sell Burberry because its worth would only decline in the future. A new CEO turned around this projection. Instead of being held back by the heritage tag of Burberry, they started to exploit it and put the brand alongside of heritage brands like Prada and Louis Vuitton.

| more

Review: Top Story by Marina Kim

For an uplifting evening of lighthearted comedy head to Old Vic Tunnels for their TOP STORY, recommends Marina Kim

Fine Art in The Skies by Marina Kim

Flying High in the World of Virgin Art.

The Colour of Money by Godfrey Barker

Diamonds can be any colour, so long as it isn’t white, and the most valuable of all are a deep, intense crimson. GODFREY BARKER investigates the whereabouts of a mysterious red diamond, the most expensive stone in the world, and explains the soaring appeal of coloured sparklers

Mouse Work by Godfrey Barker

Digital art is revolutionising the 21st century art world – but what exactly is it? Pomp unveils the mystery.

Picasso Going Political by Aliya Sayakhova

Can Art make bold political statements? The Pussy Riot girls might have an answer to this question, yet the history of socially aware art goes way back in the history.

Eastern Promise by Sophie Hastings

In their search for new markets and greater profits, London’s galleries and auction houses are heading for Hong Kong. But setting up shop by the South China Sea is a demanding, expensive, white-knuckle ride discovers Sophie Hastings

Looking East by Godfrey Barker

The international art market has a new force rising from the East. Chinese collectors are arriving, armed with rising confidence, large fortunes and a willingness to spend. Will this change everything?

POMP NEWSLETTER

Alfred Dunhill

48 Jermyn Street, London SW1Y 6LX

Tel. 020 7290 8609
www.dunhill.com

Buck's Club

18 Clifford Street London W1S 3RF

Tel. +44 (0) 20 7734 2337
www.bucksclub.co.uk

Van Cleef and Arpels

9 New Bond Street, London, W1S 3SW

Tel. +44 (0) 20 7493 0400
www.vancleef-arples.com

The London Relocation Agency

35 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London, W1J 0DW

Tel. +44 207 439 4750
www.londonrelocationconsultancy.com

The Casino at the Empire

5-6 Leicester Square London WC2H 7NA

Tel. +44 (0) 20 3014 1000
www.thecasinolsq.com

The Playboy Club and Casino

14 Old Park Lane London W1K 1ND

Tel. +44 (0) 20 7514 9000
www.playboyclublondon.com

Beauty and Fitness at The Savoy

Strand London WC2R 0EU

Tel. +44 (0) 20 7836 4343
www.fairmont.com/savoy/GuestServices/Spa