Globe-trotting butler's 1920s postcards reunited

The postcards are addressed to Mr Hills' wife and daughter

The family of a globe-trotting butler who mingled with royalty has been reunited with his lost postcards from the 1920s.

Frank Hills, who died in 1962, spent the majority of his life working as a valet, personal attendant or butler to affluent people.

In these roles he visited Egypt during the period King Tutankhamen's tomb was discovered, in 1922.

A series of eight postcards documenting his travels have been found at an antiques fair on the Isle of Wight and reunited with his family.

The postcards provided a glimpse into some of the countries toured by Mr Hills

The postcards are addressed to Mr Hills' wife and baby daughter and were believed to have been lost.

Jim Rayner, 50, set up a Facebook group called the Forgotten Messages Project, which reunites families with postcards.

He bought Mr Hills' postcards for £15 as part of a bundle at the Isle of Wight auction and traced his great-granddaughter, Laura Parham.

Frank Hills worked as a valet and travelled to Egypt during the 1920s when King Tutankhamen's tomb was discovered

Ms Parham, who lives in Stamford in Lincolnshire, said they were a "late Christmas present".

She continued: "It was Christmas Eve and I found a message from Jim that had been sat in my Facebook Messenger junk messages for six months, so it was sort of magic that I'd stumbled across this message.

"Jim gave us lots of information and sent the postcards to us, which was great."

Liz Parham, who is Ms Parham's mother and the granddaughter of Mr Hills, has stored the postcards in a folder at her home in Sonning Common, Oxfordshire.

The 72-year-old lived with Mr Hills for several years growing up, and said he was "reserved".

"I lived in a family home with my parents, sisters and grandparents and so I lived with Frank until he died," Mrs Parham explained.

Mr Hills' great-granddaughter Laura (left) and granddaughter Liz Parham (right) said the postcards being delivered was 'magic'

"He wasn't a very chatty person, but he would always play with us and would be very kind and I knew that he worked under Sir Charles Cust and travelled with him to places like Egypt.

"I suppose because of his job, he was always quite quiet and reserved."

The postcards provided a glimpse into some of the countries toured by Mr Hills, including Monte Carlo and Lake Como in Italy, and included messages about his travels and how much he missed his family.

"We all like to travel in our family and it's almost as if we are linked through his travels too," Ms Parham added.