LONDON, Feb 15: In a rare auction, a letter written by Queen Elizabeth II when she was a schoolgirl will go under the hammer next month, recounting her youthful joy while horse riding.

The letter was written by the then 12-year-old Princess Elizabeth to Lady Mary Cambridge, a second cousin in London.

“Dear Mary, I am so sorry that you have had to go to bed and were not able to go to the party, I hope you were not too disappointed ... When you are quite better you must try to come back. It will be such fun riding together.” Recalling an outing in the grounds of the Sandringham royal estate in Norfolk, eastern England, she tells how she nearly fell off her horse at one point.

“When I came back and was having my last canter, George said: 'Enough of this' and nearly tossed me off,” she says. “Get better soon and come for some more rides and tosses! Love to cousin Dorothy. With love from Lilibet.” The letter, postmarked Sandringham on Jan 7, 1938, is due to be auctioned in London on March 8 as part of a sale by Spink, a specialist auctioneer of coins, stamps, medals and banknotes.

Its estimated price is between 500-600 pounds.—AFP