Rare royal mourning ring worth thousands found in charity shop
A rare royal mourning ring worth thousands of pounds is up for auction after being bought from a charity shop for just £15.
The ring dates back to the early 19th century when it was commissioned by George IV, the prince regent at the time, to commemorate his younger sister Princess Amelia after her death.
It was discovered when a client brought the item to auctioneer Charles Hanson, unaware of its significance, having purchased it for just £15 in a charity shop in Leicester.
The ring is expected to fetch between £3,000 and £5,000 and Mr Hanson called it the most important charity shop find he had heard about in a decade.
“I was stunned and dazzled,” Mr Hanson said, adding: “This find proves treasures still lie hidden on our high streets.
“From a simple box emerged a piece of deeply personal royal history, commissioned by the royal family itself to honour a lost loved one.”
“It’s not just the monetary value, it’s the emotion, history and humanity behind this ring that truly moves you,” he added.
Princess Amelia died in 1810 from tuberculosis, leading to her father George III’s loss of sanity, an event which became the subject of countless literary and cultural depictions of the ‘Mad King George’.
The ring was commissioned that same year and crafted by the royal goldsmiths Rundell, Bridge & Rundell.
On her deathbed, Amelia is said to have pressed a ring containing a lock of her hair into her father’s hand, whispering “remember me”.
Those final words were immortalised in the ring’s design, with the phrase inscribed beneath the image of a crown.
The ring is one of only 52 made which would have been distributed among family and close friends after Amelia’s funeral at Windsor.
“The white enamel used in the ring denotes that Amelia was unmarried at the time of her death,” Mr Hanson explained.
“White enamel symbolised purity and innocence in mourning jewellery, particularly for those who died young or unmarried. It contrasts with the more commonly used black enamel, which signified general mourning.”
