Hidden trove of Buckingham Palace trinkets dating back 140 years are discovered beneath floorboards during £370m revamp

A HIDDEN trove of forgotten items dating back more than 100 years has been uncovered during the restoration of Buckingham Palace. The items were found beneath the floorboards of the royal residence as the multi-million renovation works continue. The items feature a collection of objects left behind by staff employed at the royal residence Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Wire Items discovered include this article from 1966, detailing the maximum security prison which held the Great Train robbers Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Wire A collection of everyday objects have been found beneath Buckingham Palace, including betting slips from 1957, a pair of battered black hobnail boots and an empty Silk Cut cigarette packet. Discovered beneath the floorboards of the royal residence, the 12 items were uncovered during the £370million renovation work currently ongoing at the palace. Sign up for the Royals newsletter Thank you! The oldest of the items – a nearly 140-year-old fragment of West End theatre listings from The Standard newspaper – dates back to 1889. While a schedule with all the timings required for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diplomatic Corps reception in her Silver Jubilee year of 1977, was also found. It detailed how the monarch would work the room in a “clockwise direction”, and that aides were asked to encourage the 350 British guests to mingle with the diplomats at the annual gathering. The typed sheet read: “The British guests will be distributed throughout the State Rooms, except the Music Room and West Gallery, where they should be encouraged to talk to the Diplomats”. It also warned that smoking was banned in certain state rooms with the reception kept to a strict timetable. A detailed schedule noted how aides should direct and manage guests at Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee diplomatic reception Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Wire A pair of battered boots were discovered beneath the floorboards of the historic residence Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Wire The misplaced items are believed to belong to staff who worked at the palace decades ago, and reveal the hidden lives of those who worked behind the scenes at the monarchy. Most read in Royals Other findings included a 1966 Daily Express article about the “maximum security” prison housing the Great Train Robbers, and a pass for a “whist drive” – a card game event hosted by the palace nearly 80 years ago – was found embedded in a fragment of brick. The pass reads “Royal Household Social Club – Buckingham Palace: A Whist Drive to be held on”, dated on April 14 1949. At the time, Queen Elizabeth II was still Princess Elizabeth and would have been married to Prince Philip for less than 18 months, with their eldest son, the now-King Charles, only five months old. The multi-million restoration of the palace has been ongoing since 2017, which includes an upgrade to its plumbing and heating infrastructure. Nearly 2km of cabling has also been replaced so far to minimise the risk of fire to the historic site. Among the items were a pair of battered hobnail boots, an empty Silk Cut cigarette packet, and a bottle of Schweppes Still Malvern English Spring Water. As well as a section of Minton decorative ceramic tiles from a fireplace hearth, with the design dated around the mid-1800s, and an aged Pewter tankard – a traditional, cylindrical drinking cup with a single handle, made primarily from pewter. Comment now