(KING CHARLES III, formerly Prince Charles, H.R.H. The Prince of Wales.) 1992 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.
4pp. on 2 folded sheets of Kensington Palace headed notepaper with blue royal cypher, dated December 1st 1992, a single fold to the paper; near fine, accompanied with the original white envelope with blue royal cypher, addressed in hand by the King; very good.
Personal letters by King Charles III to individuals within his inner circle are very rare to encounter.
The letter reads as follows:
“Dear Dudley,
Bless you for so kindly thinking of me on my birthday and for your wonderfully generous present of that splendid commode. You have been so marvellous over the past 11 years with your birthday presents & I can't tell you how touched I have been by them - and none more so than that exquisite Edward Lear you gave me. It is one of my most treasured possessions, particularly as it belonged originally to my Aunt Rita.
Whether I can use the commode remains to be seen (!), but it is a lovely object in itself & I am thrilled with it.
Please forgive the awful delay in thanking you, but I find I can never cope very well after my birthday as there is so much else going on at the same time at this point in the year!
With kindest regards -
Yours most gratefully,
Charles”
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.
“Aunt Rita” who the King refers to in this letter was his paternal aunt, Princess Margarita of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1905-1981). Princess Margarita was one of Princess Anne's godparents.
(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.
4pp. on 2 folded sheets of Kensington Palace headed notepaper with blue royal cypher, dated December 1st 1992, a single fold to the paper; near fine, accompanied with the original white envelope with blue royal cypher, addressed in hand by the King; very good.
Personal letters by King Charles III to individuals within his inner circle are very rare to encounter.
The letter reads as follows:
“Dear Dudley,
Bless you for so kindly thinking of me on my birthday and for your wonderfully generous present of that splendid commode. You have been so marvellous over the past 11 years with your birthday presents & I can't tell you how touched I have been by them - and none more so than that exquisite Edward Lear you gave me. It is one of my most treasured possessions, particularly as it belonged originally to my Aunt Rita.
Whether I can use the commode remains to be seen (!), but it is a lovely object in itself & I am thrilled with it.
Please forgive the awful delay in thanking you, but I find I can never cope very well after my birthday as there is so much else going on at the same time at this point in the year!
With kindest regards -
Yours most gratefully,
Charles”
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.
“Aunt Rita” who the King refers to in this letter was his paternal aunt, Princess Margarita of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1905-1981). Princess Margarita was one of Princess Anne's godparents.
(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.
4pp. on 2 folded sheets of Kensington Palace headed notepaper with blue royal cypher, dated December 1st 1992, a single fold to the paper; near fine, accompanied with the original white envelope with blue royal cypher, addressed in hand by the King; very good.
Personal letters by King Charles III to individuals within his inner circle are very rare to encounter.
The letter reads as follows:
“Dear Dudley,
Bless you for so kindly thinking of me on my birthday and for your wonderfully generous present of that splendid commode. You have been so marvellous over the past 11 years with your birthday presents & I can't tell you how touched I have been by them - and none more so than that exquisite Edward Lear you gave me. It is one of my most treasured possessions, particularly as it belonged originally to my Aunt Rita.
Whether I can use the commode remains to be seen (!), but it is a lovely object in itself & I am thrilled with it.
Please forgive the awful delay in thanking you, but I find I can never cope very well after my birthday as there is so much else going on at the same time at this point in the year!
With kindest regards -
Yours most gratefully,
Charles”
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.
“Aunt Rita” who the King refers to in this letter was his paternal aunt, Princess Margarita of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1905-1981). Princess Margarita was one of Princess Anne's godparents.
(The Times. Dudley Poplak Obituary. 2005.)
Please contact us for shipping costs if ordering from outside the UK.