A cast of Princess Diana’s left hand could fetch up to £40,000 at auction next week.
The rare mold is considered the only royal hand cast ever made during her lifetime and with her permission, making it a sought-after piece.
The plaster was created by sculptor Oscar Nemon during a meeting in his studio at St James’ Palace while he was working on a bust of the princess just before his death in 1985.
It will be sold with other pieces of royal memorabilia and a similar cast of Winston Churchill’s figures at auctioneers Reeman Dansie in Colchester in Essex during a sale taking place from November 8 to November 9.
A 1985 cast of Princess Diana’s Left Hand could fetch up to £40,000 at auction in Essex next week
The plaster was created by sculptor Oscar Nemon during a meeting in his studio at St James’ Palace while he was working on a bust of the princess just before his death in 1985, four years after her marriage to Prince Charles in 1981, picture left
The finely detailed cast is 24cm tall and was formerly owned by Nemon’s assistant, Karin Churchill.
A statement in the auction catalog says: ‘This is considered a unique cast by the hand of Princess Diana, made during her lifetime with her permission and clear cooperation and is therefore of great importance and rarity.
“The process involves placing the hand in a liquid silicone bath which then sets to create a mold from which the cast is made in plaster of Paris.”
The hand-cast is part of a sale on November 8 and 9 dedicated to royalties. The sale also includes a cast of Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill’s right-hand man, which will sell for up to £7,000.
The finely detailed cast is 24cm tall and was formerly owned by Nemon’s assistant, Karin Churchill
The rare mold is considered to be the only royal hand cast ever made during her lifetime and with her permission, making it a sought-after piece
It will be sold with other pieces of royal memorabilia and a similar cast of Winston Churchill’s figures at auctioneers Reeman Dansie in Colchester in Essex during a sale taking place from November 8 to November 9.
The sale will start a day before the highly anticipated fifth series of The Crown is released on Netflix.
In a preview of series five of the Netflix drama, seen by FEMAIL, the future king, played by Dominic West’s 15-year-old son, Senan, sees a miserable figure as he grows up in the public eye.
He is also attuned to his mother’s pain and is depicted comforting Princess Diana during difficult moments with Prince Charles.
However, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told FEMAIL that the new episodes should ensure they reflect the ways Princess Diana made sure her boys had the happiest, most normal upbringing possible.
Meanwhile, they also had the support of his doting grandmother the Queen, while Prince Charles taught them sports such as polo.
“Anyone looking at what The Crown shows should bear in mind that, even in the 1990s, there were happy times for William too,” said Richard. “While many of the events depicted in it were indeed grim, it must also show how much William was loved as a child.”
Prince William is depicted as a pensive and melancholy teenager in series five of The Crown (pictured: Senan West plays William) as his parents divorce – but according to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, the series should also portray the happy moments in his childhood
In the young prince’s first scene, which also includes Prince Harry, Charles embarrasses Diana by mocking her desire to go shopping – but both young princes say they desperately want to go shopping with their mother.
She then says to them, ‘Thank you for standing up for me! That was brave” before I offered them a GameBoy.
While The Crown fictionalizes some aspects of the royal family and their lives, fans will no doubt be disappointed to see William’s portrayal as an unfulfilled teenager, given the close relationship he had with his mother in real life.
He said: ‘William, it has been reported, is portrayed in the fifth series as sad, unfulfilled and melancholy.
The royal author added: ‘It was from Diana that he learned to care for the less fortunate, especially the homeless and those in hospital, which benefited both of them later in life.
Williams later said what an eye opener it was to see a different side of life and when he turned 40 he reportedly became a Big Issue salesman in memory of what his mother taught him.
‘She was more casual than Charles, a trip to the cinema, skiing or, most famously, an amusement park was more her style. She wanted her sons to be raised as normally as possible under very difficult circumstances.’
Diana was known for her loving approach to motherhood as her sons grew up and was often depicted in public hugging Prince Harry and Prince William.
Princess Diana was known as a fun mom who loved taking her sons out for the day and playing with them. Pictured: Diana with William and Harry on the log flume in Thorpe Park in 1993
Princess Diana was known for participating in the parents’ race during the boys’ sports days at school (picture winning the mothers’ race in 1989)
One of the earliest examples of her devotion to motherhood above all other duties was when she broke royal protocol to take her eldest son, who was then nine months old, on a tour of Australia. By setting a new precedent for royal engagements, she made it clear that her children were her top priority.
“Taking William, aged nine months, on a trip to Australia was controversial at the time, but much later William and Kate also took George at that age, so this was a game changer,” said Richard.
As the kids grew up, Diana showed the world that she was a “nice mom” who engaged in crazy activities with her sons and their friends.
During one of her most famous outings with the boys, Princess Diana was pictured allowing herself to get absolutely soaked on the log gutter in Thorpe Park in 1993.
The late Princess of Wales is pictured beaming from the cart as Princes Harry and Prince William cry with laughter. In 2017, a Radio 5 Live show celebrating Princess Diana’s life examined the photo in more detail, revealing what the young princes had found so funny.