Throughout her life, Queen Elizabeth II was driven by a passion like no other. Thanks to this passion, the mother of Charles III was able to earn a great deal of money.
For more than seventy years, Queen Elizabeth II was particularly active in fulfilling her many royal obligations. Despite her many duties, Charles III’s mother always managed to take time out for herself, to recharge her batteries and indulge in her favourite pastimes. These included Scottish dancing, horse riding and stamp collecting. And the least we can say is that this last passion proved particularly profitable for Her Majesty. As the Mirror revealed on Sunday 19 November, this hobby has earned him more than €100 million. This astronomical sum was generated by certain rare objects she owned.
According to our British colleagues, Elizabeth II had built up a collection that she had arranged in 300 albums and 200 additional boxes. These were kept in a vault at St James’s Palace. Among these many items, the Queen had an extremely rare stamp from Mauritius. Dating from 1847, this stamp, which is considered to be one of the most prized in the world, was valued at £2 million in 2002. It is a stamp that her grandfather, King George V, bought at auction in 1904. Yes, a passion for stamps has been passed down from generation to generation within the Royal Family.
Death of Elizabeth II: what happened to her stamp collection?
When she took over the stamp collection from her grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II made a particularly difficult decision. She had sold some of the “surplus” stamps in order to buy new ones. As the Telegraph reported, the stamp sale was a great success. According to the Telegraph, it brought in £750,000 in 2001. Charles III’s mother then reinvested £250,000 to obtain a unique set of 10 Penny Blacks, known as the first postal number in history. The collection is now managed by the Private Purse and the Office of the Treasurer of the Royal Household.
Photo credits: Dana Press / Bestimage