A rare photograph of the Queen and Princess Margaret starring in a Royal pantomime at Windsor Castle has gone on sale via an auction house for an expected £1,500.
Princess Elizabeth was only 18 years old when she appeared as Lady Christina Sherwood (‘Old Mother Red Riding Boots,’ a 1944 amateur dramatic production meant to lift spirits during World War 2.
Margaret, aged 14, played the Honourable Lucinda Fairfax in the show performed to Armed Forces and local children.
This black-and-white photo of Elizabeth in her large ensemble on stage measures 12ins by 8.8ins. It shows Elizabeth radiantly dressed in a sparkly gown.
Princess Elizabeth, aged 18, starred in “Old Mother Red Riding Boots,” an amateur dramatic production created in 1944 to lift spirits during World War 2. Margaret was 14 years old when she played Lucinda Fairfax, the Honourable Lucinda Fairfax. The show was performed for Armed Forces personnel and children in local communities.
Margaret, in an elegant white dress, is standing to her left. She’s surrounded by hundreds of performers from Windsor Castle Community and Royal Windsor School.
At the front, the Royal Horse Guards Orchestra, which provided musical accompaniment for the morale-boosting show, is lined up.
Stanley Williams was the superintendent of Windsor Castle & Buckingham Palace. The panto and photo programme listing Elizabeth and Margaret as cast members, and part of the ballet scenes belonged to him.
The programme mentions him as the’manager of the pantomime’, and the archive is still in his family’s possession for over eight decades.
They are now selling the photo, which was taken by Royal photographers Studio Lisa, programme and a ticket for the show with auctioneers William George in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.
William George spokesperson stated that Stanley Williams, who was Superintendent at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace before his retirement, was a long-standing Royal Servant.
Stanley Williams was Superintendent of Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace. He also owned the photo and panto program listing Elizabeth and Margaret in cast and as part of the ballet scenes.
“The family wants to make sure that the lot stays with someone who values this collection’s historical value.
Princess Elizabeth was able to entertain the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces of the Children of Windsor with her ‘Old Mother Red Riding Boots.
“Needless, to say that the Royal Family and Windsor Castle staff worked hard to offer light entertainment to the crowd at a time in which this was scarce.”
Hubert Tanner was the headmaster of Hubert Tanner’s school and created this show.
It took place between December 21-24, 1944. Up to 600 people were present, including Queen Elizabeth and King George VI.
When Princess Margaret, a teenage princess, and Princess Elizabeth, took the stage as Old Mother Red Riding Boots pantomime performers and Aladdin (pictured), they wore these costumes.
Princess Margaret, the only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II, dressed as Princess Roxana alongside the costume she wore
Tomorrow’s sale will take place.
It comes just a month after costumes made for a teenage Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret when they took to the stage in an Old Mother Red Riding Boots pantomime were put on display for the first time.
The State Apartments will allow visitors to see the stunning decorations and amazing costumes. They are located separately from Windsor Castle’s private quarters.
Elizabeth was just 18 years old when she wore a pink satin and lace long-sleeved dress as Lady Christina Sherwood during World War II.
Pictured in the costume of Princess Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth II, during Aladdin’s royal pantomime at Windsor Castle in Berkshire in 1943
In 1944, Princess Margaret was in a royal pantomime performance of Old Mother Red Riding Boots at Windsor Castle (Berkshire).
For a scene at the seaside, she wore a chintz shirt and trousers, as well as a sunhat. Margaret also wore blue taffeta with cream lace bloomers, a blue dress made of taffeta, to portray The Honourable Lucinda.
These carefully preserved costumes will be displayed at Windsor Castle until 31 January for the first-ever public viewing.
The outfits worn by princesses in war-time Aladdin Pantomime are also shown.
Mother Red Riding boots and she acted as a support for children of the Windsor Castle community, and Royal Windsor School.
Hubert Tanner was the headmaster at the school and created this show.
The costume and Princess Elizabeth as Old Mother Red Riding Boots were performed by the Royal Theatre in 1944.
The performance was given three times during December 1944. Tickets were available to audiences of 300-600 people for every performance.
Military personnel were given special seats at a reduced price. Staff from the Ministry of Works and Planning assisted in the preparation of each production’s technical details.
Every pantomime featured the participation of Princesses Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth and King George VI, their parents.
The Royal Household Wool Fund received all proceeds from these productions to purchase wool for comforters to be made by soldiers at the Front.
The couturier of the surviving costumes is unknown, but many of those worn in the royal pantomimes between 1941 and 1944 were supplied by two theatrical costumier firms, H&M Rayne and L&H Nathan.
Some of the dresses worn by princesses were also theirs for specific scenes. These included evening and day ensembles made by Sir Norman Hartnell, a British couturier.