(KING CHARLES III, formerly Prince Charles, H.R.H. The Prince of Wales.) 1990 Autograph Letter Signed.
An Autograph Letter Signed (ALS) by King Charles III (then Prince Charles, H.R.H. The Prince of Wales), expressing thanks for a birthday gift received from Dudley Poplak (1930-2005), his good friend and interior designer.
2pp. on 1 folded sheet of Highgrove House headed notepaper with blue royal cypher, dated November 17th 1990, a single fold to the paper; near fine, accompanied with the original white envelope with blue royal cypher, addressed in hand by the King and postmarked Buckingham Palace 19 Nov 1990; very good.
Personal letters by King Charles III to individuals in his inner circle are very rare to encounter.
The letter reads as follows:
“Dear Dudley,
You really are an incredibly kind & thoughtful person to remember my birthday and to send such a splendid present! Thank you so much for that magnificent & highly original inkwell? I don't know how you manage to find these things with feathers on? Is there anything which hasn't got feathers on?!
I was so touched that you managed to ensure your present reached me on my birthday in Tokyo. I felt very spoilt!
All best wishes, as always,
Charles”
The King was in Tokyo on his birthday in 1990 as the then Prince and Princess of Wales were attending the enthronement of Emperor Akihito. Emperor Akihito recently abdicated in 2019 due to his declining health, and was replaced by his son, formerly Crown Prince Naruhito.
Dudley Poplak was born in South Africa in 1930 and received British citizenship shortly after moving to Britain in 1959. Poplak was a highly successful interior designer, receiving commissions from the British royal family and British nobility. He initially came into contact with the royal family via Frances Shand-Kydd (1936-2004), the Mother of Diana, Princess of Wales. He was introduced to Frances Shand-Kydd by Elizabeth Clare Hanley (1915-2002), a lampshade designer, who received a royal warrant in 1977 as the official lampshade supplier for the royal family.
Poplak updated the rooms Diana, Princess of Wales, was using when she first moved to Kensington Palace in 1981. He also refurbished Highgrove House for the Prince of Wales and his soon to be wife, Lady Diana Spencer, which he regarded as “the most important assignment I have ever had.” Poplak’s 2005 obituary in The Times characterised him as “a shy and private man”, who was deeply valued and trusted by his clients for his “courtier-like discretion and marked reticence with the press.” When The Times wrote a story that he was refurbishing Highgrove House for the Prince and Princess of Wales, he stated:
“I certainly won’t tell you what the colour schemes are. That would be like disclosing the design of Lady Diana’s wedding dress.”
After the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales, Poplak carried out further interior design projects at the royal residences and also on the royal train. Poplak was a good friend of both the Prince and Princess of Wales, and remained so even after the couple’s divorce. Although Poplak retired in the 1990’s, he continued to carry out interior design work for Prince Charles up until he died in 2005.
(The Times. Dudley Poplak Obituary. 2005.)
Please contact us for shipping costs if ordering from outside the UK.
An Autograph Letter Signed (ALS) by King Charles III (then Prince Charles, H.R.H. The Prince of Wales), expressing thanks for a birthday gift received from Dudley Poplak (1930-2005), his good friend and interior designer.
2pp. on 1 folded sheet of Highgrove House headed notepaper with blue royal cypher, dated November 17th 1990, a single fold to the paper; near fine, accompanied with the original white envelope with blue royal cypher, addressed in hand by the King and postmarked Buckingham Palace 19 Nov 1990; very good.
Personal letters by King Charles III to individuals in his inner circle are very rare to encounter.
The letter reads as follows:
“Dear Dudley,
You really are an incredibly kind & thoughtful person to remember my birthday and to send such a splendid present! Thank you so much for that magnificent & highly original inkwell? I don't know how you manage to find these things with feathers on? Is there anything which hasn't got feathers on?!
I was so touched that you managed to ensure your present reached me on my birthday in Tokyo. I felt very spoilt!
All best wishes, as always,
Charles”
The King was in Tokyo on his birthday in 1990 as the then Prince and Princess of Wales were attending the enthronement of Emperor Akihito. Emperor Akihito recently abdicated in 2019 due to his declining health, and was replaced by his son, formerly Crown Prince Naruhito.
Dudley Poplak was born in South Africa in 1930 and received British citizenship shortly after moving to Britain in 1959. Poplak was a highly successful interior designer, receiving commissions from the British royal family and British nobility. He initially came into contact with the royal family via Frances Shand-Kydd (1936-2004), the Mother of Diana, Princess of Wales. He was introduced to Frances Shand-Kydd by Elizabeth Clare Hanley (1915-2002), a lampshade designer, who received a royal warrant in 1977 as the official lampshade supplier for the royal family.
Poplak updated the rooms Diana, Princess of Wales, was using when she first moved to Kensington Palace in 1981. He also refurbished Highgrove House for the Prince of Wales and his soon to be wife, Lady Diana Spencer, which he regarded as “the most important assignment I have ever had.” Poplak’s 2005 obituary in The Times characterised him as “a shy and private man”, who was deeply valued and trusted by his clients for his “courtier-like discretion and marked reticence with the press.” When The Times wrote a story that he was refurbishing Highgrove House for the Prince and Princess of Wales, he stated:
“I certainly won’t tell you what the colour schemes are. That would be like disclosing the design of Lady Diana’s wedding dress.”
After the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales, Poplak carried out further interior design projects at the royal residences and also on the royal train. Poplak was a good friend of both the Prince and Princess of Wales, and remained so even after the couple’s divorce. Although Poplak retired in the 1990’s, he continued to carry out interior design work for Prince Charles up until he died in 2005.
(The Times. Dudley Poplak Obituary. 2005.)
Please contact us for shipping costs if ordering from outside the UK.
An Autograph Letter Signed (ALS) by King Charles III (then Prince Charles, H.R.H. The Prince of Wales), expressing thanks for a birthday gift received from Dudley Poplak (1930-2005), his good friend and interior designer.
2pp. on 1 folded sheet of Highgrove House headed notepaper with blue royal cypher, dated November 17th 1990, a single fold to the paper; near fine, accompanied with the original white envelope with blue royal cypher, addressed in hand by the King and postmarked Buckingham Palace 19 Nov 1990; very good.
Personal letters by King Charles III to individuals in his inner circle are very rare to encounter.
The letter reads as follows:
“Dear Dudley,
You really are an incredibly kind & thoughtful person to remember my birthday and to send such a splendid present! Thank you so much for that magnificent & highly original inkwell? I don't know how you manage to find these things with feathers on? Is there anything which hasn't got feathers on?!
I was so touched that you managed to ensure your present reached me on my birthday in Tokyo. I felt very spoilt!
All best wishes, as always,
Charles”
The King was in Tokyo on his birthday in 1990 as the then Prince and Princess of Wales were attending the enthronement of Emperor Akihito. Emperor Akihito recently abdicated in 2019 due to his declining health, and was replaced by his son, formerly Crown Prince Naruhito.
Dudley Poplak was born in South Africa in 1930 and received British citizenship shortly after moving to Britain in 1959. Poplak was a highly successful interior designer, receiving commissions from the British royal family and British nobility. He initially came into contact with the royal family via Frances Shand-Kydd (1936-2004), the Mother of Diana, Princess of Wales. He was introduced to Frances Shand-Kydd by Elizabeth Clare Hanley (1915-2002), a lampshade designer, who received a royal warrant in 1977 as the official lampshade supplier for the royal family.
Poplak updated the rooms Diana, Princess of Wales, was using when she first moved to Kensington Palace in 1981. He also refurbished Highgrove House for the Prince of Wales and his soon to be wife, Lady Diana Spencer, which he regarded as “the most important assignment I have ever had.” Poplak’s 2005 obituary in The Times characterised him as “a shy and private man”, who was deeply valued and trusted by his clients for his “courtier-like discretion and marked reticence with the press.” When The Times wrote a story that he was refurbishing Highgrove House for the Prince and Princess of Wales, he stated:
“I certainly won’t tell you what the colour schemes are. That would be like disclosing the design of Lady Diana’s wedding dress.”
After the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales, Poplak carried out further interior design projects at the royal residences and also on the royal train. Poplak was a good friend of both the Prince and Princess of Wales, and remained so even after the couple’s divorce. Although Poplak retired in the 1990’s, he continued to carry out interior design work for Prince Charles up until he died in 2005.
(The Times. Dudley Poplak Obituary. 2005.)
Please contact us for shipping costs if ordering from outside the UK.