At first glance they look like a collection of ordinary dresses, with scuffs that indicate many wonderful hours of outdoor play.
The set of six crumpled garments gives little indication that it is anything special.
But they were once worn by a young Princess Elizabeth and her sister Margaret, when they were cared for by their beloved nanny Clara Knight – and now they’re available for purchase.
The clothes will collectively sell for more than £12,000 at auction house Kerry Taylor Auctions in Bermondsey, south London, in June.
A white cotton baby dress and hat worn by Elizabeth is on offer, along with a pink and green floral dress, a red and white scalloped dress and a yellow smocked dress.
Also on sale are a pair of matching blue and pink spotted 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-grandchild, Princess Charlotte, who is regularly seen in similar floral and colorful outfits.
The lots include a photo of Princess Elizabeth in the 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 will sell for more than £12,000 at auction. Above: A pink and green floral dress worn by Elizabeth in the 1930s. It is tipped to sell for up to £3,000
Young Elizabeth plays with a pony in the grounds of Glamis Castle wearing the floral dress now up for auction
Inspiration? Princess Charlotte has often worn dresses that hark back to the dresses her late great-grandmother wore when she was a young child. Above: Princess Charlotte in a summery blue dress arrives at St Mary’s Hospital after the birth of Prince Louis in 2018 (left); attended the Easter Mattins service at Windsor’s St George’s Chapel last year
When the young princesses inevitably outgrew their 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 the Queen Mother, after her birth in 1900.
The devoted Ala cared for her until she turned eleven.
In 1926, now married to Prince Albert, Duke of York, and not yet knowing that he would be a future king, the Duchess of York brought in Ala to care for Elizabeth, her eldest daughter.
It wasn’t 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
A red and white cotton dress worn by Princess Elizabeth is on sale. Tipped to sell for £1,500
Elizabeth’s gown is printed with a scalloped red and white pattern
A white cotton baby dress and hat worn by Elizabeth will appear at auction on June 11. The price can go up to £1,200
These matching dresses were originally worn by Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret in 1936. They are tipped to sell for up to £5,000
There are pink bows on the puff sleeves and neckline of the dress
Both dresses come with matching elastic bloomers
A yellow silk smocked dress once worn by Princess Elizabeth in 1930. It is tipped to sell for up to £1,500
The yellow dress is from Smith and Co from Sloane Street in London
Young Princess Elizabeth pictured in the floral dress as she spends a summer at Glamis Castle
Until then, Clara had raised her without excessive luxury: Elizabeth was dressed in simple cotton.
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 royal family 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 returned the clothes to the Knight family, who then passed them on to antique collector Daniel Haddon.
“The dresses make Elizabeth seem more human because you can see her as a child, running around, getting dirty and playing,” he told MailOnline.
Clara Knight, the royal nanny, with Princess Elizabeth in 1928. When the young princesses inevitably outgrew their 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 using the clothes as much as possible. It makes the queen recognisable.’
Mr Haddon has since loaned the clothes to Glamis Castle, where Elizabeth spent her summer holidays.
Last year they were on display during the Children of Glamis exhibition.
Kerry Taylor Auctions previously sold a midnight blue evening dress worn by Princess Diana in her official portrait of Lord Snowdon.
It went for £220,000.