Queen Elizabeth II’s former maid is selling her collection of Christmas cards sent to her by the late monarch to help pay for her care in old age.
June Guerin, now 87, joined the royal household in the early 1970s after answering an advert in The Lady magazine.
She served the Queen and Prince Philip for 22 years and became a senior domestic at Buckingham Palace.
The Queen was said to be very fond of June and she travelled with her and the Duke of Edinburgh, serving at Sandringham, Windsor Castle, Balmoral and on the royal yacht Britannia.
She used to tell her family the story of how she once danced the Gay Gordon Scottish country dance with Prince Philip at a party.
Queen Elizabeth II’s former maid is selling her collection of Christmas cards sent to her by the late monarch to help pay for her care in old age.
The Queen was said to be very fond of June (pictured) and travelled with her and the Duke of Edinburgh, serving at Sandringham, Windsor Castle, Balmoral and on the royal yacht Britannia.
June retired in the mid-1990s and used to live in an apartment on the royal estate in Windsor.
June, who now suffers from dementia and is 87, is selling her royal Christmas cards to help pay for her medical care. They are expected to fetch £6,000.
There are 24 cards in total dating from 1987 to 2018, although some years are missing.
Two personal cards handwritten by Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, will also be auctioned.
Mimi Connel Lay, of Lay’s Auctioneers in Penzance, Cornwall, said: ‘June’s collection of Christmas cards is a testament to her devotion to the royal family.
‘Although he retired from service in the mid-1990s, he still received a Christmas card from the Queen and Prince Philip until the Queen’s death.
‘It is rare for a collection as phenomenal and personal as this to come onto the market. June now has dementia and is in a care home and her family have made the difficult decision to sell these treasured items to help with her care.
June, who now suffers from dementia and is 87, is selling her royal Christmas cards to help pay for her care. She is pictured in the centre.
June is originally from Guernsey and never had children. In recent years she has lived in Cornwall, close to her great-niece, Michaell Dunne, who sells the collection. Her cards are illustrated
‘Some of the Christmas cards are fantastic from a historical perspective, showing Harry right in the middle of his family, which is quite touching given the current rift.’
The 1987 Christmas card features a photograph of the Queen and Prince Philip and their four grandchildren at the time, Peter, Zara, William and Harry.
June is originally from Guernsey and has never had children.
In recent years she has lived in Cornwall, close to her great-niece, Michaell Dunne, who is selling the collection.
Mrs Dunne, 45, said: ‘She was very loyal to the Queen, who I think cared about the people who were around her every day.
Many cards are signed by both the Queen and Prince Philip.
June Guerin, now 87, joined the royal household in the early 1970s after answering an advert in The Lady magazine.
‘Aunt June was always very discreet when it came to the royal family and never gossiped.
‘She said her duties included preparing the Queen’s bedroom for bedtime or coming in to open the curtains in the morning.
‘June’s favourite story was a New Year’s Eve party where the staff were invited and she danced the Gay Gordons with Prince Philip – that was her claim to fame.
‘June has lived in a care home in Cornwall for the past six years and is now suffering from advanced vascular dementia. She forgets that the Queen and Prince Philip have died and gets angry if she is reminded.
‘We would love for June’s collection of cards to be treasured by future generations of people who love the royal family in the same way that she does.’
Other items to be sold include photographs of June receiving her Royal Victorian Medal (RVM), an award given to people who have provided exceptional service to the royal family, and a copy of the service held at Westminster Abbey in November 2007 to mark the Queen and Prince Philip’s diamond wedding anniversary.
The sale will take place on October 3rd.