A deeply personal letter written by Queen Elizabeth II shortly after Prince Edward’s birth has resurfaced, revealing the late monarch’s life as a young mother and the happiness that filled the royal household in 1964.
Written from Buckingham Palace on April 1 of that year, the handwritten letter was sent to the Queen’s close friend, the concert pianist Marion Stein, Countess of Harewood, just weeks after Edward’s arrival.
In the warm correspondence, Elizabeth described her youngest son as “flourishing” and revealed how delighted the family were to have a baby in nursery again.
“It’s a great joy to have a baby in nursery again,” the Queen wrote, adding that her eldest children, Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew, were all “thrilled” about their new baby brother.
The two-page letter, which is expected to fetch around £1,000 at auction, shows a side of the monarch rarely seen by the public.
Away from official duties and affairs of state, it captures a mother sharing family updates with a trusted friend.
The Queen also showed her characteristic humor in the note. Apologizing for taking the time to respond, he blamed “a large amount of correspondence” before joking about Britain’s cold spring weather while referencing Stein’s recent trip to Russia.
“It must still have been very cold there,” he wrote, “although this country seems to be doing everything it can to copy it right now.”
The letter was addressed to Marion Stein, a celebrated Austrian-born pianist whose friendship with the Queen lasted decades.
Stein’s extraordinary life saw her rise to prominence in British cultural circles, first through her marriage to George Lascelles, the 7th Earl of Harewood, and later to the Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe.
Their long-standing friendship was formally recognized in 2008 when the Queen appointed Stein Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his services to music.
Auction specialist Richard Davie described the correspondence as a rare and intimate insight into Elizabeth’s private world.
“It shows the Queen not as a monarch, but as a devoted mother,” he said. “Her affectionate observations, humor and warmth make her feel remarkably approachable.”
The discovery comes shortly after another letter emerged from the same year, written by the Queen to sister Helen Rowe, affectionately known as “Rowie”, who helped care for her through all four pregnancies.
In that note, written when Edward was five months old, Elizabeth proudly described her youngest son as “wonderful” and “good as gold,” and revealed that he weighed an impressive 15 pounds, 12 ounces.
“He smiles and laughs at everyone and makes everyone happy!” she wrote.
The letter also offered an update on Prince Charles, then 15, who was recovering from pneumonia after a camping trip.
Although relieved by her progress, the Queen admitted that she was still “very fragile.”
