Milligan sale 'upsets' children

Spike Milligan received an honorary knighthood in 2001

Memorabilia owned by the late Spike Milligan has been put up for sale without the knowledge of his children, one of his daughters has claimed.

The comic's widow decided to put the previously unseen collection under the hammer because she is moving house.

In a statement on behalf of four of Milligan's children, his daughter Sile said they had not "been consulted" and were "deeply distressed" over the sale.

The sale, which takes place on Tuesday, includes books, letters and drawings.

'Personal effects'

A notebook of comical radio skits, a grand piano played by Milligan's friend Sir Paul McCartney, and notes from the Prince of Wales and Michael Parkinson will also be part of the auction.

"Spike's children, while wishing to maintain a dignified silence, wish also to make it quite clear that they have had, and will have, no involvement in this event, nor will they profit from it in any way," Sile said.

"They have not been consulted over the sale and are deeply distressed that their father's personal effects are being put up for sale in this way."

Shelagh, Milligan's widow lived with him for 27 years.

Speaking to Bonhams magazine earlier this month, she said: "I just don't have the space in my new house to put everything.

"And the alternative is that I carry on paying these huge storage bills and everything just sits there rotting away.

"But I can't pretend I'm going to find it easy. When we were cataloguing various items for the sale, I went to the store and it felt as if our whole life was laid out in front of me."

The auction takes place at Bonhams on 25 November. Milligan died in 2002 at the age of 83.