Princess's jewels make millions

A gilt hedgehog brooch valued at just £50 sold for £5,760.

Jewellery and artefacts owned by the late Princess Margaret have so far raised almost £10m in an auction.

A Faberge clock was sold for double its estimate at £1.1m, while her wedding tiara sold for £926,400.

The money raised at Christie's in London will be used to help pay off inheritance taxes on her estate.

Princess Margaret, who died in 2002, was married to Lord Snowdon until 1978. Some reports have said he was unhappy with the auction.

But according to Christie's, differences among the family of the Princess Margaret were resolved and all 800 items went up for auction.

The Faberge clock was given to Princess Margaret by her grandmother Queen Mary, and had been expected to sell for between £600,000 and £800,000 instead of the £1.1m it raised.

This could be a world record for a hedgehog Hugh Edmeades, chairman of Christie's In pictures: Princess's jewels

The Poltimore Tiara, which was originally created by Garrards in 1870, had been valued at between £200,000 and £300,000.

An art deco pearl and diamond necklace, worn by Princess Margaret when photographed by Cecil Beaton for her 19th and 21st birthday portraits, sold for £276,800.

The auction had been expected to raise £3m but almost all the items sold for many times their estimated value. Some of the proceeds will go to charity.

A ring made from three rubies and diamonds fetched £299,200. The piece was designed by Princess Margaret from three rubies chosen from her personal collection given to her by the Queen Mother.

Another surprise was a gilt hedgehog brooch valued at just £50 which sold for £5,760.

Auctioneer Hugh Edmeades, chairman of Christie's, said: "This could be a world record for a hedgehog."

A spokesman for the auction house said: "This goes to show the continuing and enduring appeal for the royal family."

'Unhappy friends'

Christopher Warwick, the Princess's biographer, said: "I think she would have been very surprised, she would have been amused.

"There is a view that this is sale of Princess Margaret's life and I know that a handful of her intimate friends have been unhappy about this."

The Princess's children, Viscount Linley and Lady Sarah Chatto, have defended the sale, saying it was necessary to cover Princess Margaret's death duties.

Other items sold include a cultured pearl jabot pin, designed as a butterfly, had an estimated price of up to £60 but sold for £6,000.

A wrist watch by Cartier, which was a gift to a 20-year-old Margaret from the Queen Mother, then Queen Elizabeth, made £57,600 and had a guide price of £2,000-£3,000.

A Russian gold mounted enamelled cigarette holder by Faberge, which came in its original case had an estimated price of up to £2,000 but fetched £209,600.