At first glance, they look like a collection of ordinary dresses, with wear and tear that indicates many glorious hours spent playing outside.
The set of six crumpled garments reveals little indication that they are anything special.
But they were once worn by the young Princess Elizabeth and her sister Margaret, when cared for by their beloved nanny Clara Knight, and now they are for sale.
The clothes will collectively sell for more than £12,000 at Kerry Taylor Auctions in Bermondsey, south London, in June.
A white cotton baby dress and bonnet worn by Elizabeth is offered, along with a pink and green floral dress, a red and white scalloped dress, and a yellow ruched dress.
Also on sale are a pair of matching blue and pink polka dot dresses worn by Elizabeth and her younger sister, Princess Margaret.
The late queen’s childhood clothes appear to have inspired the dresses worn by her great-granddaughter, Princess Charlotte, who is regularly seen in similarly floral and colorful outfits.
Accompanying the lots is a photo of Princess Elizabeth in a floral dress during a summer holiday at Glamis Castle, the childhood home of her mother, Queen Elizabeth.
A set of dresses once worn by Princess Elizabeth and her sister Margaret are to sell for more than £12,000 at auction. Above: A pink and green floral dress worn by Isabel in the 1930s. It is expected to sell for up to £3,000.
Young Elizabeth plays with a pony in the grounds of Glamis Castle while wearing the floral dress that is now up for auction.
Inspiration? Princess Charlotte has frequently worn dresses that date back to what her late great-grandmother wore when she was a child. Above: Princess Charlotte in a summery blue dress arriving at St Mary’s Hospital after the birth of Prince Louis in 2018 (left); attending the Easter Mattins service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor last year
When the young princesses inevitably ran out of dresses, Clara was allowed to take them home.
The girls affectionately called Clara ‘Ala’ as a nod to Elizabeth’s attempts to pronounce her name as a baby.
Clara was originally hired to care for the one-month-old baby Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, later Queen Mother, after her birth in 1900.
The devoted Ala took care of her until she was 11 years old.
In 1926, already married to Prince Albert, Duke of York, and still unaware that he would be a future king, the Duchess of York hired Ala to care for Elizabeth, her eldest daughter.
It was not until the age of ten, when her uncle Edward abdicated the throne, that Elizabeth knew she would become queen.
Princess Elizabeth (left) and Princess Margaret (center) adored their nanny Clara (right). They affectionately called her Ala.
Up for sale is a red and white cotton dress worn by Princess Elizabeth. It is expected to sell for £1,500.
Elizabeth’s dress is printed with a red and white scalloped pattern.
A white cotton baby dress and hat worn by Elizabeth will appear at auction on June 11. Could sell for up to £1,200
These matching dresses were originally worn by Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret in 1936. They are expected to sell for up to £5,000.
Pink bows sit on the puffed sleeves and neckline of the dress.
Both dresses come with matching elastic bloomers.
A yellow silk dress once worn by Princess Elizabeth in 1930. It is expected to sell for up to £1,500.
The yellow dress is from Smith and Co on Sloane Street in London.
Young Princess Elizabeth photographed in a floral dress while spending a summer at Glamis Castle.
Until then, Clara raised her without excessive luxuries: Elizabeth wore simple cotton clothes.
The Queen Mother and the two princesses attended Clara’s funeral in 1946, seven years before Elizabeth was crowned Queen.
Before Clara died at the age of 67, she sent a box of clothes given to her by the royals to her family in East Sussex.
When the clothes were found again in a box under a bed, Clara’s family sent them to Bexhill Museum.
After the museum was renovated, curators sent the clothes to the Knight family, who then passed them on to antiques collector Daniel Haddon.
“The dresses make Elizabeth look more human because you can see her as a child, running around, getting dirty and playing,” she told MailOnline.
Clara Knight, the royal nanny, with Princess Elizabeth in 1928. When the young princesses inevitably ran out of dresses, their beloved nanny was allowed to take the garments home.
The future Queen Elizabeth II is pushed in a stroller by her nanny Clara Knight and accompanied by her grandfather, King George V.
‘When you look at the dresses and see the repairs, you can see that they were sewing them and wearing the clothes as much as possible. It makes the Queen relatable.”
Since then, Haddon lent the garments to Glamis Castle, where Elizabeth used to spend her summer holidays.
They were on display as part of the Children of Glamis exhibition last year.
Kerry Taylor Auctions previously sold a midnight blue evening dress worn by Princess Diana in her official portrait of Lord Snowdon.
It sold for £220,000.
