Mrs Bean and the Queen

A fascinating record of life working close to Queen Elizabeth has come to light with a collection of rare personal memorabilia including medals, photographs, wedding cake and Christmas cards from the royal family.

This collection is being sold in Chilcotts December 10 auction in Honiton by Mrs Deborah Bean CVO who worked as the Queen’s personal letter correspondent from 1965 to 2003.

The Christmas cards in particular provide an intriguing insight into changes over the years since the mid-1960s. All include images of the Queen either with just Prince Philip or the wider family; some picture her with her beloved corgis. These cards cover key events such as the Golden Jubilee and Charles and Diana’s wedding year, 1981. The final card is from Christmas 2021 and due to the passing of her husband, poignantly only has Queen Elizabeth’s signature.

Amongst the assortment of photographs are some taken on the Royal Yacht Britannia with others depicting the Royal Household. Deborah is always placed in the centre of the photos just behind the Queen, indicating how close she was to the monarch.

She started her career typing speeches for Prince Philip before moving across to work for Queen Elizabeth, for whom she typed up the annual Christmas Day speeches and wrote letters, such as letters of condolence. Deborah recalled one entertaining letter written in response to a request from a lady who had seen pictures of the Queen at Ascot, asking if she could borrow the hat worn by her majesty for an upcoming Women’s Institute event!

Liz Chilcott from Chilcotts Auctioneers says “Deborah was a very skilled correspondent, a top-level typist working at 70 words per minute with an impressive shorthand speed of 170 words per minute.

“She certainly needed these skills as she tells us she wrote up to 300 letters a day - and she also had to be able to successfully adopt the Queen’s phraseology and tone, another great skill.”

Deborah’s work meant she became very close to her employer, travelling with her on trips overseas, on the Royal Yacht and to the various royal homes including Balmoral where she had her own cottage. She also had a bedroom and office at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and on the Sandringham Estate.

Over the years she received many awards and decorations from the Queen including a Silver Jubilee and Golden Jubilee Medal. Whenever she was on a royal trip overseas, Deborah was given Orders by the countries visited, including Belgium, Brazil, Chile, France, Italy, Malaysia, Portugal, Thailand and former Yugoslavia. The most prestigious decoration Deborah was given was the CVO (Commander of the Victorian Order) which the Queen bestowed on her for ‘extraordinary, important or personal services to the sovereign or the royal family.’ 

On retirement, Deborah became a speaker. “She called her talks In Her Majesty’s Service and they were all about her work,” explains Liz. “Through them she raised thousands of pounds for the Royal British Legion. Broadcaster and author Gyles Brandreth once wrote an article all about her and her career for The Telegraph.” The celebrated Mrs Bean now lives in a retirement home in North Devon.

Included in the December 10 auction are 44 Christmas cards, medals including the important CVO and three pieces of royal wedding cake from the weddings of Charles and Diana, Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, and Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, plus photographs.

The collection is being sold in different lots estimated from around £150 each; this is a truly unique collection and the total is expected to reach between £8-10,000. Viewing is on December 7,8,9 and on sale day. The auction starts at 10am.