Canopy from Charlotte's throne found in an old box

IT ONCE adorned the 19th-century throne of Queen Charlotte in Buckingham House and was on proud display at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

But for almost a century, the magnificent red silk velour canopy from the throne lay unnoticed in a cardboard box in a house in Scotland.

Yesterday, the antiques dealer who discovered the valance this year unveiled the treasure, which disappeared in 1910. John Dixon was on a routine buying trip to the north-east of Scotland when the owners presented it to him in a cardboard box, where it had lain unused for 94 years.

Mr Dixon, of Georgian Antiques in Edinburgh, bought it because he thought it might have been part of a canopy for a four-poster bed. The owners, who are remaining anonymous, also suspected it was from a four-poster bed, but they had been told it might have originally come from Holyrood.

It was only earlier this year that the true story of the 20ft canopy emerged when Mr Dixon showed it to Ian Gow, a curator for the National Trust for Scotland, who wrote a book in 1992 about Scotland’s royal interiors, including photographs of the original throne.

"Ian Gow came in on other business and I showed it to him and he immediately snapped: ‘That’s from Queen Charlotte’s throne and it should be reunited with the Royal Collection’," Mr Dixon said. "He immediately answered all of the questions. It was just chance that I bought it because I liked it, and chance that I showed it to Ian Gow. It was just in a nondescript cardboard box and had never been used, that was the beauty of it. If someone had a nice four-poster bed they might have bought it and ruined it.

"The great mystery to me is where it has been for about the past 100 years."

The canopy had hung on display in 1818 above Queen Charlotte’s throne at Buckingham House, the forerunner to Buckingham Palace. In 1822, it was taken north to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and was used during George IV’s Edinburgh visit. But it vanished in 1910 during a palace refurbishment.

It is understood that Queen Alexandra, the wife of Edward VII, disliked Holyrood’s Victorian decor and ordered some of the interiors to be removed. Mr Dixon added: "It’s very exciting to have found the canopy almost 100 years since it disappeared. It is in near perfect condition and I can’t wait to see it back in its rightful place.

"The silk velvet with the gold lace looked absolutely beautiful, so I bought it.

"Now I would really like to reunite the canopy with Queen Charlotte’s throne."

Mr Dixon said that the carved wooden canopy of the throne is with the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, although it is not on display.

But the seat used with it was thrown out in about 1910 because it was riddled with woodworm.

Now he is hoping Mr Gow will be able to reunite the valance, which Mr Dixon is donating for free, with the wooden canopy.