Royal hobby worth £100 million that King Charles doesn’t love as much as late Queen

It is well-known that members of the Royal Family enjoy some of the most unique past times – from polo to carriage driving. But even some of the most privileged people in the world enjoy normal hobbies too as it seems stamp collecting has proved to be a therapeutic activity for many royals over the years.

POUNDBURY, DORSET – OCTOBER 27: Queen Elizabeth II tours Queen Mother Square on October 27, 2016 in Poundbury, Dorset. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)

As ordinary as this sounds, in true royal fashion the family’s stamp collection is valued at an astounding £100 million.

While the late Queen and many of her ancestors, stretching back to Queen Victoria’s reign, all shared an interest in the hobby, the same cannot be said for King Charles as he prefers to spend any of his free time gardening or painting.

The late Queen was the fifth royal to add to the world famous Royal Philatelic Collection, following on from its inauguration by Queen Victoria’s son, Prince Alfred in 1864.

The prince sold his collection to his brother, the future King Edward VII, who in turn gave it to his son, King George V and it subsequently passed down to King George VI and finally to the late Queen.

Stamps first came into circulation on May 6, 1840 during the early reign of Queen Victoria when it cost only one penny to send a letter which weighed under half an ounce. Of all the royal custodians, King George V was very dedicated to maintaining and growing the collection.

When he was still the Duke of York, the prince was made the honorary Vice President of what would go on to become the Royal Philatelic Society of London in 1893.

King George V’s dedication to his hobby knew no bounds, and he even set the record for the highest price ever paid for a stamp. In 1904, a courtier asked the-then Prince if he had seen “that some damned fool had paid as much as £1,450 for a single stamp”. George replied: “Yes, I am that damned fool.”

Speaking before the monarch’s death, royal expert Phil Dampier said: “The Queen loves showing her stamp collection to visitors, say heads of state who stay at Buckingham Palace.

“It is one of her pride and joys, not only because she owns some of the world’s most valuable stamps, but also because she has built on a family treasure and feels she has done her father and previous monarchs who owned it proud.”

While the late Queen added several impressive additions to the collection, the passion has not been shared by King Charles who famously prefers to spend his free time gardening or painting.

At the start of 2022, King Charles saw 79 of his watercolours exhibited at The Garrison Chapel in Chelsea. The-then Prince of Wales spoke of his hobby on a display panel and said that painting “refreshes parts of the soul which other activities can’t reach”.