BBC Antiques Roadshow expert left crushed after Princess Kate discovery
Antiques Road Trip, a spin-off of the popular Antiques Roadshow, saw its stars crestfallen when a royal item failed to impress at auction. The show’s cast members, Irita Marriott and Raj Bisram, journeyed to Stamford in Lincolnshire, hoping to find bargain items that could fetch a handsome price at auction.
Raj believed he had hit the jackpot when he discovered a Royal collection at Stratton Oakford Antiques. The co-founder of Bentley’s Fine Art and Antiques Auction House in Cranbrook, Kent, unearthed a “set of medals that all belonged to the same person”, along with a considerable amount of paperwork.
The seemingly fascinating find was broadcast to TV audiences on BBC 1 on Thursday, after initially being aired last year. Expectations were high for his discovery as it headed to auction.
He elaborated: “Now, when you get a set of medals all on one bar, they all belong to the same person. There seems to be a lot of paperwork, and with everything that’s militaria, or anything, if you have the paperwork that goes with it, it gives it provenance, that will all help.
According to Chris, the proprietor of the antique shop, the naval medals were awarded to a radar operator named John Philip Middleton during World War II. Raj was quick to draw a connection to Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales.
However, he was left disappointed when the set of medals linked to Princess Kate’s hometown of Reading only fetched a mere £32 at auction – less than half of what he had paid.
This came after he had said “I find facts like that intriguing,” after purchasing the item for £80, hopeful of its royal connection.
His disappointment was palpable as he simply uttered “no” when his precious Navy medals failed to bring in the profit he had hoped for. His luck continued to spiral downwards.
He attempted to sell a silver brush set for more than the £110 he spent, but to no avail. In desperation, he asked the auction-goers “Come on! Are you still alive all of you?”
“Come on! These are rare items!” but once again, the hammer fell at just £32.
By the end of the show, he had suffered a total loss of £123.92, while his opponent Irita Marriot clinched victory with a smaller deficit of £34.84.
Antiques Roadshow airs Sundays at 8pm on BBC1.
