Archive of Queen Elizabeth as wartime mechanic sells for £6,800

The private archive of photos was passed to a close companion of Violet Wellesley, the Queen's driving instructor during the war

A rare archive documenting Queen Elizabeth II's experience as a wartime mechanic has been sold at auction.

The collection, which included black and white photos, letters and newspaper cuttings, was bought by a private bidder for £6,800.

Among them was the late monarch's provisional military driving licence, signed simply "Elizabeth" in 1945.

James Grinter, of Colchester auction house Reeman Dansie, described the licence as "the most wonderful object".

The archive belonged to her Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) driving instructor, Maj Violet Wellesley MBE, who left instructions the documents should only be sold after the Queen's death.

It was expected to fetch £1,000-£2,000, the auction house said.

On the licence, Princess Elizabeth, as she was, wrote that she had blue eyes, was 5ft 4in (163cm) tall and had light brown hair

The driving licence, issued by the War Department during World War Two, was believed to be one of only two the Queen ever owned.

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Mr Grinter said: "A gentleman got in touch with us to say he had been left it - and he wondered whether we were interested - it absolutely made my day.

"To actually have something that meant so much to the Queen in the early part of her life, her piece of war effort and the fact that she did her bit for the country.

"This is proof. This is her driving licence from that period, an extremely rare thing.

"It made a lot of money considering it was just a piece of paper and a few letters and a few old photographs."

Ms Wellesley had praised the Princess's work ethic and how she got "thoroughly dirty" in the role

The collection was part of a two-day royal memorabilia auction, with interest shown from all over the world, Mr Grinter said.

A pink satin full-length petticoat, worn by Her Majesty, sold for £3,000, double the asking price.

One of three Christmas cards personally signed by William and Catherine, sold for £1,400

Also among the lots were three Christmas cards, signed by the now Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine.

They were expected to fetch £400-£600, but two sold for £1,000 each. A third, showing the couple holding new-born baby George in 2013, sold for £1,400.

Mr Grinter said the cards "rarely come on the market".

"It just goes to prove there's still huge affection for the Royal Family," he said.

Reeman Dansie managing director James Grinter said signed royal Christmas cards "rarely come on the market"

A plaster cast of Princess Diana's left hand, by the sculptor Oscar Nemon, was expected to fetch £30-40,000, but was withdrawn from sale