Queen Victoria's Christmas tree decorations - more than 120 years old - fetch nearly £1,500 at auction

A pair of Queen Victoria’s Christmas tree decorations - dating back more than 120 years - have sold for nearly £1,500. The adorable ornaments feature a small doll inside a woven crib and a wax doll which is missing one leg.

The trinkets were originally gifted to Elsie Young, the second cousin of Marchioness Isabella Whichcote, daughter of Sir Thomas Whichcote, 7th Baronet. They were bought by Daniel Hadden, a royal historian, who decided to sell them in time for someone to enjoy this Christmas.

He said Elsie, “would have been an awestruck teenager” when she was gifted the trinkets in the late 1880s. She left them to her servant, Rosie Ellison. “I bought them from Rosie's descendants,” said Mr Hadden, of Wivelsfield Green, West Sussex.

The decorations sold for a total of £1,443, including the buyer’s premium, when they went under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers today (Thurs). Bargain Hunt star Charles Hanson, who owns Hanson Auctioneers, called them the “ultimate festive bauble”.

Another royal item that recently went under the hammer includes Elizabeth II's custom Range Rover. The vehicle sold for a record £132,000.

The L322 Range Rover was driven by the late monarch herself at a country show and even customised to Her Majesty’s specifications. Finished in Epsom Green, it was fitted with a modified front grille with covert lights, front and rear seat covers, dog guard, load space mat, side steps and mud flaps.