Queen’s letter to former US ambassador thanking him for STOCKINGS set to sell for up to £1,600

A letter of thanks from Queen Elizabeth II to a former US ambassador to Britain for his gift of stockings has appeared for sale.

Her Majesty wrote the letter to Lewis Douglas thanking him for the “surprise gift” in May 1953.

During her reign, the queen was never seen without stockings, a philosophy that set an unspoken precedent for other female members of the royal family.

The Princess of Wales and Queen Consort are never seen without sheer stockings, and Princess Beatrice and Eugenie often meet too.

The letter, written on letterhead with the head of Buckingham Palace, is expected to fetch £1,600 when it goes under the hammer at Lion Heart Autographs in New York.

After her marriage to Prince Philip in 1947, then-Princess Elizabeth received hundreds of pairs of nylon stockings because they had been rationed during wartime but were again freely available.

Nylon was used during World War II to make glider tow ropes, anti-aircraft guns, mosquito nets, hammocks, and even parachutes.

American GIs proved very popular with British women, as they often carried nylon stockings with them when they came to the UK.

In her letter Queen Elizabeth wrote: ‘I was so pleased to receive the wonderful surprise of the stockings from you and Mrs Douglas – and I am so very grateful to both of you for your kind thought of me.

‘I hope you had a good time here, even if it’s been such a short stay and I really hope that next time you come here, we’ll have a chance to meet.

“Thanks again to you both and many messages, best regards, Elizabeth.”

Mr. Douglas was US Ambassador to Great Britain for three years from 1947 to 1950, representing President Harry S. Truman.

Her Majesty wrote the letter to Lewis Douglas thanking him for the ‘surprise gift’ in May 1953

Mr. Douglas was US Ambassador to Great Britain for three years from 1947 to 1950, representing President Harry S. Truman. Above: The then former ambassador can be seen in 1953

Auctioneer Heather Wightman said: ‘This letter is so special because it is a very rare handwritten letter from the Queen at the beginning of her reign.

‘Personal thank you letters like this reveal how kind and thoughtful she was during her time as monarch’

‘It may seem strange to modern people who send stockings to the Queen, but at the time they were the height of luxury.

“It is important to look at this letter through the lens of its time.

During her reign, the queen was never seen without stockings, a philosophy that set an unspoken precedent for other female members of the royal family. Above: The Queen in stockings on a visit to Cardiff in 1960

The Queen is seen making her Christmas Day message to the nation in 1957

The Queen wears stockings as she appears in public with Harry Primrose, the 6th Earl of Rosebery in 1955

The Queen is seen wearing tights while appearing at the Braemar Games with the Duke of Edinburgh in September 1952

Her Majesty with fashion queen Anna Wintour at London Fashion Week on February 20, 2018

“When they came out of World War II, silk stockings were incredibly rare and nylon was a very new technology that was mainly used in the war effort.

“It’s a beautiful memory of Queen Elizabeth II in her youth and that really strikes a chord with people.”

At the end of the war, there were nylon riots in the US as huge lines of women waited to get hold of small numbers of stockings that became available again.

The letter will be on sale from October 26.