The Queen's letter to former US ambassador thanking him for STOCKINGS

Letter the Queen penned in 1953 to former US ambassador thanking him for sending her a pair of STOCKINGS is set to sell for up to £1,600

• The Queen wrote letter to Lewis Douglas thanking him for the ‘surprise’ in 1953
• The letter is expected to fetch £1,600 when it is sold in New York on October 26
• Throughout her reign the Queen was never seen without stockings 

A letter of thanks from Queen Elizabeth II to a former US ambassador to Britain for his gift of stockings has emerged for sale.

Her Majesty wrote the letter to Lewis Douglas thanking him for the ‘surprise’ present in May 1953.

Throughout her reign the Queen was never seen without stockings, a philosophy that set an unspoken precedent for other female members of the Royal family.

The Princess of Wales and the Queen Consort are never seen without sheer stockings, with Princess Beatrice and Eugenie also often complying. 

The letter, written on Buckingham Palace-headed stationery, is expected to fetch £1,600 when it goes under the hammer at Lion Heart Autographs in New York. 

A letter of thanks from Queen Elizabeth II to a former US ambassador to Britain for his gift of stockings has emerged for sale. Above: The Queen is seen wearing stockings during a visit to the theatre in 1959

Following her marriage to Prince Philip in 1947, the then Princess Elizabeth received hundreds of pairs of nylon stockings because they had been rationed during wartime but were once again freely available. 

Nylon was used during the Second World War to make glider tow ropes, flak jackets, mosquito netting, hammocks, and even parachutes.

American GIs proved to be very popular with British women as they often brought with them nylon stockings when they came to the UK.

In her letter Queen Elizabeth wrote: ‘I was so very delighted to receive the wonderful surprise of the stockings from yourself and Mrs Douglas – and I am so very grateful to you both for your kind thought of me.

‘I hope you have had a pleasant time over here, though it has been such a short stay and I do hope we shall have a chance of meeting next time you come here.

‘With renewed thanks to you both and many messages, yours sincerely, Elizabeth.’

Mr Douglas spent three years from 1947 to 1950 as the US ambassador to Britain representing President Harry S. Truman.

Her Majesty wrote the letter to Lewis Douglas thanking him for the ‘surprise’ present in May 1953

Mr Douglas spent three years from 1947 to 1950 as the US ambassador to Britain representing President Harry S. Truman. Above: The then former ambassador is seen in 1953

Auctioneer Heather Wightman said: ‘This letter is so special because it is a very rare handwritten letter from the Queen at the beginning of her reign.

‘Personal letters of thanks like this are revealing of how kind and thoughtful she was throughout her time as monarch

‘It might seem strange to modern people sending stockings to the Queen but they were the height of luxury at the time.

‘It is important to look at this letter through the lens of its time.

Throughout her reign the Queen was never seen without stockings, a philosophy that set an unspoken precedent for other female members of the Royal family. Above: The Queen in stockings during a visit to Cardiff in 1960

The Queen is seen after making her Christmas Day message to the nation in 1957

The Queen wears stockings as she appears in public with Harry Primrose, the 6th Earl of Rosebery in 1955

The Queen is seen wearing tights as she appears at the Braemar Games with the Duke of Edinburgh in September 1952

Her Majesty with fashion queen Anna Wintour at London Fashion Week on February 20, 2018

‘Coming out of the Second World War, silk stockings were incredibly rare and nylon was a very new technology that had mainly been used in the war effort.

‘It is a nice remembrance of Queen Elizabeth II in her youth and that is really striking a chord with people.’

At the end of the war there were nylon riots in the US as huge queues of women waited to get their hands on small numbers of stockings that were beginning to become available again.

The letter will be on sale October 26.

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