Six ceremonial items used by Queen Elizabeth II are set to be auctioned off in support of Cancer Research UK.
Bruno Peek, who served as Queen Elizabeth II’s pageant master for four decades, is putting the items from the royal jubilee celebrations up for auction next month.
The 74-year-old from Gorleston in Norfolk designed most of the items himself to commemorate historic royal occasions throughout his lengthy tenure organising beacon tributes for the late monarch’s golden, diamond and platinum jubilees.
The virtual sale at Bonhams is expected to take place in March.
Bruno Peek is auctioning off six of Queen Elizabeth II’s ceremonial items for Caner Research
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Mr Peek explained his choice of charity, saying: “I own these items but I could never have sold them for personal gain. Given that the King and Catherine, Princess of Wales, have both had cancer treatment, I felt it was appropriate to use them to raise money for Cancer Research UK.”
Each piece is estimated to fetch between £20,000 and £30,000 at the online auction.
Among the lots is the Diamond Jubilee “diamond”, which was showcased at the Tower of London prior to being used by the Queen in 2012.
The millennium torch, created to mark the arrival of the year 2000, will also go under the hammer alongside the 90th birthday torch that featured in celebrations at Windsor Castle in 2016.
A Golden Jubilee torch from 2002 is included in the sale, as is the Platinum Jubilee Commonwealth Nations Globe, which played a central role in festivities held at Windsor Castle in June 2022.
Mr Peek masterminded worldwide beacon tributes throughout his career, including commemorations for the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
The items are expected to fetch somewhere between £20,000 and £30,000
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Mr Peek reflected warmly on his relationship with the royal family during his four decades of service: “The Queen and the royal family showed me such kindness over the years. They were very encouraging and courteous. I felt privileged and honoured and comfortable in the Queen’s company.”
He recalled a memorable moment at Buckingham Palace when technical difficulties arose during the Diamond Jubilee beacon lighting: “I whispered to her do you mind giving it a little push ma’am? And she said ‘I don’t mind at all’ and gave it a good shove, to the cheers of the hundreds of thousands attending the concert in The Mall that evening.”
The former welder’s final encounter with the late Queen came at the Platinum Jubilee beacon ceremony in June 2022.
“We all understood the Queen wasn’t well and we weren’t expecting her to make it,” he said. “But being the great Queen she was, she surprised us all and came. The last thing she ever said to me, after lighting the beacon, was ‘Thank you Bruno’.”
Mr Peek described that final exchange as “a lovely moment which I will cherish for the rest of my life, but also very sad because a few days later she died.”
Born to Polish immigrants, Mr Peek and his twin brother George were abandoned at 14 months old and raised in a children’s home until their adoption at age four.
Before becoming a welder, he worked in various roles including at a bakery, a butcher’s shop, manufacturing prams and as a labourer on building sites.
Mr Peek’s final meeting with the late Queen at the Platinum Jubilee
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His path to royal service began over four decades ago when he organised the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston carnival, sparking his passion for staging historic events.
He subsequently approached the palace with proposals that were accepted.
His contributions earned him an OBE in 2000, membership of the Royal Victorian Order in 2002, and a lieutenancy in 2012, before becoming a Commander of the RVO following the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.gbnews.com ’
