Bracelet: The item will go up for sale next month.
A bracelet gifted by Queen Victoria to her Lady of the Bedchamber at Balmoral Castle is to go under the hammer.
The granite bracelet was presented to mark the engagement of the Queen’s daughter, Princess Louise.
The engagement took place on the Balmoral Estate - the Royal family’s Scottish retreat - on October 3, 1870.
Bonhams will auction the item, which features a locket compartment containing a painted photograph of the Princess, at its annual Scottish sale in Edinburgh on August 29.
A spokesman for the auctioneers said: “Princess Louise, her future fiancé Lord Lorne, the Lord Chancellor and the Lady of the Bedchamber, the Marchioness of Ely, went for a walk on the estate.
“At some point the couple were left tactfully alone and as Victoria’s wrote in her diary, 'This was an eventful day! Our dear Louise was engaged to Lord Lorne. The event took place during a walk from Glassalt Shiel to the Dhu Loch. She had gone there with Janie Ely, the Lord Chancellor, and Lorne’.
“The news was not welcomed by all members of the Royal Family, some of whom disapproved of Lorne because of his social position. Although he was heir to the Duke of Argyll and a high ranking aristocrat, Lorne was a subject of the Queen and not a member of a royal house.
“Victoria however strongly supported her daughter’s choice which she believed would make her happier than being forced into a dynastic marriage and welcomed an infusion of new blood into the family.”
The bracelet, which is expected to fetch between £600 to 800, was commissioned to mark the event and is inscribed “To the Marchoness of Ely in recollection of the Dhu Loch 3rd October 1870 from Victoria R”.
The spokesman added: “Its recipient Jane Ely, Marchioness of Ely - known as Janie - was a rather put- upon figure who lived in constant fear of the Queen and was famous for her lack of discretion. She was, however, fiercely loyal to Victoria who in turn was very fond of her.”
