This Waring & Gillows secretaire was commissioned by Queen Mary for her personal quarters aboard the Royal Yacht, the HMS Medina, for the 1911-12 India state visit.
Huw Edwards-Jones, master cabinet maker and liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers, spent over a month restoring and researching its royal connections. Among his finds were photos of the secretaire next to Queen Mary’s bed aboard the ship in 1911.
The 6ft x 15½in (1.83m x 39cm) piece is made from Brazilian mahogany and veneered in tight-grained ripple satinwood. A gilt brass maker’s plaque to the interior of the draw bears the inscription: HMS MEDINA, Used on the state visit of TM the King and Queen to India 1911-12, Warings, London. It is priced at £25,000.