One’s old china: set of plates fit for the Queen comes up for auction

The unique service, commissioned by a French king and used only once by the British monarch in 1967, could fetch up to £442,000

A unique set of porcelain dessert dishes and plates commissioned by France’s King Louis-Philippe I, and believed to have been used only once, for a visit by Queen Elizabeth II, is to be auctioned in Paris.

The 98 pieces, embossed in gold and each painted with a picture of a different animal, were found in a dining room cupboard in the Chateau de Sassy in Normandy. They are expecteed to fetch nearly half a million pounds.