A rare letter penned by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, to Queen Elizabeth I, his lifelong friend and possible love interest, has sold for a staggering £32,700 at auction, exceeding its estimated price by four times.
The letter, dated 1583, contains a cryptic reference to a significant matter of state, believed to be related to England's policy towards Scotland following the Throckmorton plot. The earl also apologizes for his absence during a journey across England, likely due to his secret marriage to Lettice, Countess of Essex, a woman Elizabeth disliked.
Experts at Lyon & Turnbull, the auction house, highlighted the letter's rarity, tracing only two other autographed letters from Dudley to Elizabeth. The sale also saw a letter from Mary I, Queen of England, fetch £37,700, while a 17th-century notebook filled with remedies and recipes sold for £10,080.