A SCENT bottle with a royal connection sold for a record £10,350 at Dorchester auctioneers Dukes.
The Victorian glass scent bottle, in the form of a swan's head, captured the imagination of bidders from around the world at a recent auction.
The silver gilt-mounted keepsake boasted an overlaid glass body modelled as a swan's head with a red beak and white feathers.
The plain screw-off cover was engraved with an initial 'B' surmounted by a crown indicating that it was originally the property of Prince Henry of Battenberg.
According to the family that consigned the scent bottle for sale at Duke's, it was originally given to George Alfred Butcher on his marriage to Agnes Pristow on May 23, 1894 by his Royal Highness, Prince Henry of Battenberg.
George Butcher was his valet at Buckingham Palace and it would seem that Prince Henry held George in high esteem because he also awarded him with a silver medal for devoted and faithful service. The family were able to provide a marriage certificate to prove that their ancestor was employed as a valet at Buckingham Palace as well as the medal itself.
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