A rare mourning ring commissioned by George IV to commemorate his sister, Princess Amelia, is set to be auctioned after being purchased for just £15 at a charity shop in Leicester.
The ring, dating back to the early 19th century, was brought to auctioneer Charles Hanson by a client who was unaware of its historical significance.
Mr Hanson described the find as the most important he had encountered from a charity shop in a decade.
The piece is now expected to fetch between £3,000 and £5,000 at auction.
“I was stunned and dazzled,” Mr Hanson said.
“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.”
Princess Amelia died in 1810 from tuberculosis.
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 George III’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.
Her father later lost his sanity, an event which became the subject of countless literary and cultural depictions of the ‘Mad King George’.
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 said.
“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.”
